Touched by an Angel
by ilovetvalot
Summary: When David Rossi finds Penelope Garcia brokenhearted, what's a guy to do?
1. Chapter 1

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**Touched by an Angel**

**Chapter One**

There are precious few absolutes in life.

Day followed night, a handkerchief was always better than a disposable tissue, and he hated a woman's tears. Yeah, that about summed it up.

Which was why, as he stood in the doorway to Penelope Garcia's office, he felt like lying down in the middle of a busy freeway. He was pretty sure an oncoming semi-truck would be less daunting than facing an emotional Garcia. But he could turn around and leave...pretend he'd never been there.

Nope. Not an option. He'd already seen the damn tears. And if there was one rule that his father had taught him, it was that you never left a woman in tears - even if you weren't the one that had caused them.

Of course, the other part of that rule was definitely something he could get on board with...when you find the source of said tears, beat the ever loving dog shit out of said source.

Absolutes were always enjoyable, especially when it meant he could exact revenge in the process.

Taking a deep breath, Dave took a step inside the office. "Kitten?" he asked softly, holding up a hand in peace when Penelope swung wild eyes in his direction, jumping in her chair.

"A-Agent Rossi, s-sir," she sniffed, quickly wiping at her wet cheeks with the back of her hand. "What may the Goddess do for you today?" she asked woodenly, her usually enthusiastic demeanor dulled dramatically, the chipper inquiry falling flat.

"First off, you can stop trying to cover up the tears. I already saw them," he ordered gently, closing the door behind them to give them some privacy.

"Oh, those," Pen snorted, forcing herself to smile. "Hor-mones," she sang, shrugging as her lips stretched in what she hoped was a fairly good imitation of her normal cheerful self.

"Bullshit," Dave sang back, rolling his eyes at her attempts. "What's going on, Red?" he asked seriously.

"Nothing," she said breezily, waving a hand in the air as she twirled slightly in her wheeled chair, attempting to bring herself back to reality.

"Penelope," Dave warned soberly, leaning against the closed door, "I'm prepared to take root here in your office."

Crap, Pen groaned inwardly. Of all the members of the BAU team to catch her wallowing in self-pity, it had to be him. Perhaps the most intuitive agent the Bureau had ever seen, David Rossi was a rule unto himself. And few dared cross him. Not even her. At least where work was concerned, but this was her personal life...her very private personal life.

"Penelope?" she heard his deep voice query.

"It's really nothing," she murmured as she shrugged. "Just a date gone horribly wrong."

"With Lynch?" Dave frowned, his dark eyes narrowing on Garcia's paling face. She and the dark haired technical analyst had been dating almost a year. He had no idea how serious it was, but if the look on her face was any indication, whatever she'd thought they had together had been royally shaken tonight.

"Yeah," she whispered, nervously fiddling with her computer to avoid the older man's piercing gaze. She knew from experience that those eyes of his saw way too much. And she was not keen to be his newest target.

"How are things going with him?" Dave asked, keeping his voice soft as he watched her fingers fly over her keyboard.

Her hands paused abruptly as she heard his question. Swallowing past the thick knot in her throat, she shook her head as her eyes filled with helpless tears. "It's over," she declared huskily, saying the words aloud for the first time since they'd broken up.

Now, this was news, Dave thought grimly. He wasn't without experience in this area; that was for sure. "Whose decision was that, sweetheart?" Dave asked gently, pulling a chair next to hers.

"His mother's," Penelope remarked with a rueful chuckle, her words spoken with blunt candor. "Although he did actually have the guts to tell me himself."

"Come again?" Dave asked, his eyes narrowing as another tear rolled down her damp cheek. Vaguely, he remembered overhearing Garcia telling Morgan this morning that she was finally meeting Lynch's parents for the first time. But it was impossible to believe there was a soul alive that didn't instinctively love Penelope Garcia. Hell, even his hardened heart had softened immediately upon meeting her a few years ago.

Watching as the glistening teardrops began to roll faster down her alabaster cheeks, her indigo eyeliner quickly following, Dave cringed. "Honey, I can go get one of the girls...or Derek, if you'd rather," he offered softly, "but it's pretty obvious you need to confide in someone."

Shaking her head, Garcia choked, "No, not Derek...he'd kill him...and really, it's all just too...too humiliating." She shuddered, her voice cracking.

"Okay." Dave nodded slowly, wanting to offer her some small comfort but unsure if he should touch her or not. It appeared as though she was barely maintaining her composure, and Garcia wasn't the type of woman that would enjoy witnesses to her emotional state. "No Morgan...no girls. What about me? Can you talk to me?"

Sinking her teeth into her quivering lower lip, Pen inhaled deeply. "They didn't like me...Kev's parents."

"Kitten, I don't see how that's possible in any universe, let alone this one," Dave denied, reaching inside his suit coat for his handkerchief and pressing it into her shaking hand, squeezing it reassuringly before releasing her.

"It's true," Pen nodded vigorously, wiping her running nose with a swipe of the linen cloth.

Watching as his beautiful young colleague seemed to fold in on herself as sobs wracked her, Dave grimaced. Whatever had happened tonight had wrecked her self-confidence; that much was entirely too clear to him. Scooting his chair closer, he wrapped one arm around Garcia's shoulder, tugging her toward his chest. "C'mon, sweetheart. Just cry it out," he soothed as he reigned in the urge to find Kevin Lynch and his parental units and make them all sorry they'd ever heard the name Penelope Garcia.

Running his hands up and down her back as she buried her head against his throat, dampening his collar with her tears, he sighed. Later, he'd be surprised by how much those cries affected him. But in the here and now, he allowed his anger at those that had diminished her bright spirit to swell.

Because one thing was sure.

Someone was going to pay for this sin...just as soon as he learned what the hell the sin had been.

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**_SPECIAL NOTE: AND NOW THE BIG NEWS- THE AWARDS SEASON HAS COMMENCED! Nominations have opened for the third annual Profiler's Choice Awards for Criminal Minds' fandom! Please visit Chit Chat on Author's Corner forum for the nomination ballot, rules and guidelines and category definitions. Please review ALL information BEFORE submitting your nomination ballot. Ilovetvalot, Tonnie2001969, and HXChick are NOT eligible for ANY awards. PLEASE COME BY THE FORUM AND TAKE A LOOK. EVERY NOMINATION BALLOT IS IMPORTANT!_**

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**_Also, there is a new chapter of "You Found Me" available at The Writers Coffee Shop (TWCS) today!_**

**_As always, thank each of you for reading, reviewing, alerting and favoriting our stories. We truly appreciate each one of you._**


	2. Chapter 2

**Touched by an Angel**

**Chapter Two**

The emotional storm inside Garcia's uniquely decorated office raged for several long minutes. Tightening his arms around the fragile woman leaning against him, Dave rested his chin against her soft hair, waiting for her to spend her tears while he contemplated a slow and painful torture for those idiots that had dared bring her to this level of despair.

Garcia was supposed to be the happy one, damn it. She always had a ready smile and a cheerful word for him. She was one of those rare women in his life that expected nothing from him. She was kind to him for kindness' sake, not out of some unseen ulterior motive that so many of the females he encountered had once they realized just who he was and how much he was worth.

But not their Penelope. He was fairly certain that she couldn't give a rat's ass what his net worth was...well, unless she was collecting for one of her charities. Then, of course, she had no problem in the world hitting him up for all he was worth. But never for herself...any soliciting she did, she did for the benefit of others. It was one of the many things about this normally vibrant woman that made her overwhelmingly special.

Feeling another shudder wrack the curvaceous woman in his arms and another sob wrenched from her throat, Dave shook his head grimly, her silky hair tickling his nose. How the hell could anyone in their right mind find something to bitch about in this woman? Her body didn't contain one manipulative bone. Hell, his own mother would have danced a jig if he'd brought home someone this pure of spirit.

Mentally snorting, he admitted to himself that she still would, geriatric cane and all. Unfortunately, his own excursions into the romantic realm had ended badly...and expensively...all three times. And dear old ma had always been there to say, "I told you so," with that thinly veiled look of disappointment shining in her aging eyes.

He had to admit, however, he seriously doubted Mama Rossi could ever find anything to dislike about the unusual mass of contradictions that was Penelope Garcia.

Pulling out of the shelter of David Rossi's embrace, albeit reluctantly, Penelope wiped at her cheeks with the agent's now soggy handkerchief. "I'm soooo sorry, SuperAgent," she muttered, shaking her head ruefully as she mopped at the mascara she knew had to be running down her face. The cosmetic might cost her an arm and a leg, but no matter how much she paid she still couldn't find one that didn't disappear at the first tear.

"Stop that," Dave rumbled, brushing her still trembling hand away and taking the soiled kerchief from her hand to dab at the dark watery tracks her mascara had left against her smooth cheeks. "Sounds to me like you don't have a damn thing to apologize for, Kitten."

Swallowing painfully, Garcia inhaled a shaky breath, letting it out slowly as she met David Rossi's dark, concerned eyes. Funny, she'd never noticed those little flecks of gold in his irises before, but then again, she'd never been quite this close to the quietly mysterious man before tonight either. "I'll be okay, sir," she whispered when he finally dropped his hand from her face. "I'm just embarrassed that you saw me like this," she muttered, dropping her gaze to stare at her shoes.

"Hey," Dave chided, lifting her drooping chin with a gently determined finger, "None of that. Everybody has a breaking point, sweetheart. There's no shame in a good cry. Especially when it sounds as though you earned it." Keeping his eyes on hers, he ordered softly, "Now, I want you to tell me exactly what Lynch did to produce these tears of yours though."

"Not important," Garcia replied quickly, her red hair dragging her shoulders as she shook her head and averted her eyes again. "Water under the bridge," she forced herself to say brightly, straightening her spine as she attempted to clear her cluttered mind. If there was one lesson she'd learned regarding the man questioning her, it was that he could be relentless when in pursuit of answers. An unwilling subject unprepared to talk was just another day at the office for him. The only way out of this was to find her composure and convince him that she'd overreacted.

It couldn't be that hard….could it?

"Bullshit," Dave snorted flatly, arching one dark brow as he stared down at her. "In case you haven't heard, kiddo, I can be one hell of a stubborn mule when I decide I want something. And right now, I want answers. Or," he added, ever so casually it raised a chill on Penelope's skin, "your former suitor can meet with some unfortunate accident on a dark alley. It's your choice, of course."

Alarmed, Penelope's eyes widened as she looked at Rossi. "It's not the sort of thing that requires any violence, Agent Rossi," she replied swiftly, attempting to widen her smile into a sign of peace. She'd already noted that dangerous glint in his obsidian eyes. Now, that, she'd definitely seen before. Usually, right before he backed an unsub against a wall. Kevin would never stand a hint of a chance against an opponent like David Rossi.

Although, she thought evilly, he might make an interesting smudge on her carpet. Perhaps she could take a moment and consider her options.

"Why don't you let me be the judge of that," Dave returned, forcing himself to smile calmly. Of course the apt technical analyst would try to minimize whatever Kevin and his parents had said or done to her. It was her way, a part of her innate charm that only made him respect her more. But those tears she'd shed had sealed the Lynch family's fate...the only decision he'd yet to make was how permanent the damage he fully intended to inflict would be.

Worried now, Pen shook her head again, more vigorously this time. "I'm fine," Garcia insisted cheerfully, batting her mascara-less eyelashes. "I just let myself get too worked up over things and you caught me at a low moment," she lied, pasting a bright smile on her lips.

"Try. Again," Dave demanded, his words clipped. "And this time, save yourself the trouble of trying to create a believable lie, Cara," he continued, settling himself in the chair in front of her as he crossed his arms over his chest as he prepared to take root in her lair until she decided to become more forthcoming.


	3. Chapter 3

**Touched By An Angel**

**Chapter Three**

Penelope Garcia had spent enough time in the senior profiler's company to recognize when he was channeling his inner-stubborn streak.

And now was obviously one of those moments.

She had seen him outlast seasoned serial killers, psychotic arsonists, and even the occasional company bureaucrat intent on being a pain in the ass. But her most vivid recollections were when she'd watched him outlast their resident dragon lady herself, Erin Strauss, their latest contest of wills lasting just over six hours.

And Penelope was almost entirely certain she wouldn't fare any better than any of those ever had.

Of course, that didn't mean she wouldn't give it the old college try.

Shrugging her shoulders as she reached for one of her ever-present feather-topped pens, she twirled it between her fingers as she replied breezily, "I've nothing to report, Super Agent. Things happened. Words were said. A relationship reached an untimely demise, and now it's all over. No harm, no foul. Not much left to say."

"Oh, I'd say you've left out quite a few things. Namely, the details," Rossi retorted, crossing his ankle over his knee as he leaned back in the chair. "No harm, no foul, my ass," he added caustically, narrowing his gaze on her.

Waving a pink-manicured hand in the air, Garcia sing-songed, "Details, smeatells. They don't really matter in the whole scope of things, do they? Besides, I took care of things."

Casting her eyes in his direction, Garcia waited for another of his trademark surly retorts. But as the seconds ticked silently by and he merely stared at her, she swallowed hard as she felt his gaze boring deep inside to her soul. Her heart pounded louder in her ears as she tried to draw her eyes away from his, but she couldn't…and she knew at that moment that she was about to do the one thing she had sworn she wouldn't do. The one thing she would never deliberately do...

She was going to seal Kevin Lynch's fate.

Tapping her pen against the counter, she wriggled her lips from side to side as the words suddenly poured out, "It's not as bad as you think it is. I'm just not the girl for them, that's all. They wanted Corporate Barbie. Which obviously," she noted, holding arms akimbo as she dropped her eyes to her full body, "I'm not."

Lifting his chin, David Rossi inhaled deeply as the match within his core was struck. "Is that so?" he drawled deliberately, taking his time with the words and his thoughts.

Nervously shifting in her chair as she felt the atmosphere almost crackle around them, Penelope raised a finger, "Now, Agent Rossi..."

"So you didn't meet their requirements, huh? Exactly what happened, Garcia?" Dave asked, drumming his fingers against her desk as he waited for the pertinent facts. Her obvious reluctance only stoked the flame of his temper. Because Penelope Garcia rarely hesitated, her zest and zeal was well known to them all.

Something was clearly wrong. And he was damned certain he could make it right.

But clearly, she was uncertain now and even as he watched her, he noted her eyes looking for an escape route.

Lifting a hand, he carelessly studied his nails as he spoke. "There's no way out. I can block any exit faster than you can move, Kitten."

"Craaaapppp," Penelope groaned, her shoulder sagging as his words sank in. Her bad night was about to become a whole lot worse...and a hell of a lot louder.

Exhaling a quick breath, she spoke rapidly. "According to Mrs. Lynch, I'm absolutely unsuitable to even associate with Kevin's family, let alone as his significant other. I'm flamboyant. Apparently there's a constant spotlight that I think should be directly focused on me at all times. According to Mr. Lynch, I'm exactly the type of goodtime girl that it's more than all right to tussle with between the sheets, but that should be the extent of my proximity to their family. Or, I do believe my former...God, I don't even know WHAT I should call him now...anyway, I believe Kevin's words were, 'We can still be fuck buddies, Penny.'"

Silence hung in the air between them for longer than she wanted to acknowledge, and she watched in growing anxiety as his eyes seemed to darken even more than she'd ever seen before.

Nearly choking on his rage as he forced himself to take deep breath, Dave's measured his next words carefully. "Were those Kevin's exact words, Sweetheart? Fuck. Buddy," he spit out.

"Yep." Penelope nodded, willing herself not to cry again. God, how much time had she wasted pandering to that little geek-o-phile. "And then," she said in a rush, her heart pounding as she felt the humiliation start to rise again, "he literally shoved me out of his parent's penthouse apartment. My outfit wasn't the haute couture the Lynches accept at the dinner table," she said as matter-of-factly as possible, glancing down at the vibrantly colored dress she'd so carefully chosen for the occasion. Shrugging, she swallowed painfully. "I liked it though," she whispered, finally unable to fight the sob caught in her tightened throat.

Tamping down on his anger, Dave grimaced as Garcia's tears began flowing again. "Damn it," he bit out, reaching for the younger woman again, easily shifting her body toward him. Pulling her into his lap, Dave rocked her gently as he ran his hand up and down her back. "Your dress is beautiful, Kitten. The idiots were clearly blind. And as for Kevin's offer, so help me God, Morgan won't have a chance to kill him. I'll rip his dick off myself. We'll even have his balls bronzed for you if you want. Mealy mouth little maggot is evidently still attached to his mama's teat. You can do a hell of a lot better than that, Sunshine."

Nodding against his neck, Penelope sniffled as she shifted against him. "I know. It just hurts," she whispered, relaxing in the circle of Rossi's protective arms. "I thought he was so different from the others. He always said he loved me because I was unique. Turns out, I think he loved getting laid. Although, after hacking his Facebook account and announcing his valiant battle with syphilis and gonorrhea, that might be a little difficult now."

"Now, that's the Kitten I know and love," Dave laughed proudly, tightening his arms around her as he pressed a kiss to her temple. "I knew she was in there somewhere."

"They tried to declaw me, SuperAgent," Penelope whimpered, no longer caring that she was letting him hear her inner thoughts.

"They did, sweetheart," Dave agreed softly, tightening his arms around her. "And trust me, they'll pay for that," he added ominously under his breath.


	4. Chapter 4

**Touched By An Angel**

**Chapter Four**

"You don't have to do anything," Penelope whispered as she shifted, forcing herself to sit up straighter, although the feel of his strong muscles were something she didn't want to willingly give up. "I'll get over it. After all, it was just one night," she added with a small smile even as she privately added the two years she'd wasted on Kevin to that total. Damn him!

Raising one brow as he shifted his hand down to her waist, Rossi shook his head. "Are you honestly going to try to make yourself believe that crap? You're a lot smarter than that, babe, and you and I both know it. They made their choice. And it was fucking wrong. And they're going to learn the error of their ways."

Shrugging as she tried to control the inward thrill of happiness that was invading her, Penelope countered, "And what exactly do you think will make them learn their lesson? They're entitled to their opinion, you know."

"Not when it hurts you, they're not," Rossi snorted, easily shifting her against his arm. "You deserve to be treated with respect, and I'll be damned if anyone does otherwise in my presence."

Pausing for a moment as she let that statement sink in to her already frazzled soul, Penelope finally whispered, "I'm not used to being the damsel in distress, Agent Rossi. I don't know what to do…."

"First, you start by calling me Dave, remember?" he replied easily, before adding, his tone hardening, "And second, you tell me exactly where Lynch and his freaking family live."

Snorting, Penelope's lips twitched. Talk about poking an ornery bear, she thought devilishly. It would serve Kevin Lynch and his sainted mother right if she unleashed her own personal answer to the Terminator on them. But, of course, that wasn't her style. Well...actually it was, but usually she cast herself in Arnold's role. "Yeah...no," Penelope shook her head as she forced herself out of the safety of David Rossi's strong arms, "I don't think I'm gonna do that."

"Oh, yes, you are," Dave growled, silently grateful the tears had abated, but no less angry at their cause. "You know I'll find out what I want to know with or without your help. But with you is so much more convenient, Kitten."

"I'm not helping you put out a hit on my former boyfriend or his parents," Penelope said firmly. No matter how much those idiots might deserve it, she added silently to herself. "Honestly, my little Italian Stallion," she said sweetly, patting his whiskered cheek, "It's enough to know that I could if I wanted."

"Yeah...no," Dave shook his head, deliberately echoing her earlier words, "I don't think that's gonna work for me. I want somebody's blood for this one. You rarely cry, sweetheart. And I don't especially care for the experience. Somebody's got a form of punishment coming to them."

Sighing heavily, Penelope leaned one hip against her desk as she met Rossi's determined gaze. "Honestly, Agent Rossi..."

"Dave," he growled, correcting her with a pointed scowl.

"Fine, fine," Pen said, waving a hand negligently in the air, "Dave, then. All I want to do is go home, find a pint of Rocky Road, climb in my bed and lick my wounds. I'll be fine by Monday. It'll be like nothing ever happened," she said, shrugging her stiff shoulders.

"You know what?" Dave said, snapping his fingers as he made an instantaneous decision, refusing to analyze his thoughts. "You're right. You need a nice, quiet change of scenery."

"I like the scenery at my place just fine," Garcia retorted as she smiled, arching one perfectly sculpted brow.

"No, no," Dave denied with a shake of his head, "You need a field trip," he stated firmly, his decision made.

"A field trip," Garcia repeated suspiciously, propping one hand on her hip. "Where exactly do you think I should go?"

"Home," Dave said, rising from his chair and shoving his hands into the pocket of his jeans. "With me."

"With you?" Garcia gaped, her eyes widening.

"To my cabin," Dave clarified with a simple shrug. "It'll do you good, Kitten. Fresh air, wide open spaces..."

"Telephone? Wi-fi?" Garcia queried, taking a step backward as she cocked her head to eye the older man carefully. Trusting him with her emotions was one thing; spending time with the World Wide Web was an entirely different kettle of fish.

"No worries. My place has all those creature comforts that a woman can't live without," he assured her easily as his grin widened.

"You know, I'm not a stray puppy," Garcia said nervously, warily watching for any signs she had missed. "There's no reason to scoop me up and take me home with you. I'm okay, Agent...Dave."

"You need a break, Garcia," Dave replied evenly. "You got a heavy dose of reality tonight from that so-called guy you were dating. Not to mention the asshole's parents. A little time away from the City might be exactly what you need. C'mon, Kitten, do you hear me offer out my place to just anybody?"

Well, that much was true, she thought fairly. David Rossi guarded his privacy with a steely will or iron, rarely allowing anyone to venture into the sanctified compound that she privately referred to as "Rossiland". To her knowledge, only Hotch and Jack had entered the confines of Rossi's lair and lived to tell the tale. And, yet, here he was offering to shelter her for an entire weekend. "You're up to something," she said, pointing a finger at him as she narrowed an eye. "What gives?"

"You have a suspicious mind and overactive imagination, Ms. Garcia," Dave tsked, winking .

"That's not exactly a denial," Penelope chuckled, dropping her hand to her hip as she merely blinked at him. "You're not trying to give me an alibi for when the hit goes down, are you?" she asked, only half teasing. David Rossi was a dangerous man when crossed...and when you crossed someone he cared about...well, that was simply a recipe for disaster.

Rolling his eyes, Dave shook his head. "I'm not even going to deign to answer that question," he sniffed, looking around her office.

"Again, that's not denial," Penelope stressed, her lips twitching with amusement.

"Grab your go bag, woman," Dave ordered, taking the decision out of her hands. "You're coming home with me."


	5. Chapter 5

**Touched By An Angel**

**Chapter Five**

She knew she was staring. Hell, she knew she was positively catatonic at that moment. But what else was a girl supposed to do when faced with such…such…such…

Words were escaping her. And that alone was enough to send her brain even further into overdrive. She was articulate. She had a stunning command of the English language that had outwitted many a mere mortal and overwhelmed gamers near and far.

Penelope Garcia simply did not DO speechless.

Until now.

Watching as the normally talkative woman stood stock still in the middle of his living room, Dave chuckled. "Big cat got your tongue, kitten?"

"This…this…" Garcia waved a hand weakly around her as she shook her head rapidly, trying to clear her mind, "This is NOT a cabin, Superagent! No way, no how, could this meet any definition of cabin in any dictionary in any world anywhere!"

"It has a log exterior," Dave said easily as he dropped his sports jacket over the back of the nearby recliner. "Ergo, cabin."

"Ergo, my foot!" Penelope exclaimed as she craned her neck back to look up at the second floor balcony, the bright lighting illuminating every nook and cranny as far as her eye could see. "This is a freaking mansion, you crazy fool!" Twirling on one foot, she demanded, "'Fess up, Rossi! You're really the East Coast's answer to Hugh Hefner and you've been running the Playboy Mansion out of her, haven't you?"

"Sorry to disappoint you, babe," Dave replied, grinning he tossed his keys on the oak coffee table, "but sadly, I don't have any heart shaped beds or Jacuzzis. I do, however, have an extra deep whirlpool tub to put at your disposal if you're interested."

It was on the tip of her tongue to ask if his company came along with it, but she quelled the question before it escaped. "This place is gorgeous." Penelope shook her head again as she turned in a complete circle.

Dave winked. "Glad you like it. Mi casa es su casa. Make yourself at home," he invited, settling in one of the deep leather recliners inside his great room.

"That's gonna be hard," Pen muttered, rolling her eyes, "Especially since this place is nicer than some of the five star hotels I've seen online."

"What exactly did you expect, Penelope?" Dave asked curiously.

"Honestly? More glass, leather and chrome...and one of those beds that you can turn on vibrate," she said, looking around at the comfortable furniture, her eyes cataloguing the value in just a mere second. "You're hailed to be one of the great whales in the dating game, my lovely. Svelte beauties everywhere are just waiting for their chance to dangle a hook in front of you. I assumed you'd have a bachelor pad that was more conducive to that."

Chuckling, Dave shook his head. "If you remember, I swallowed the hook three times. I've cut line, Kitten. As in, off the market. Matrimonial bliss was clearly not in the cards for me."

"Evidently, me either," Penelope mumbled, shrugging her bag off her shoulder and dropping it on the couch. "I seemed to be doomed to attracting the wrong kind of guy," she said miserably, her baffled mind easily shifting back to her earlier distress.

"You, my dear," Dave said sternly, rising from his chair and crossing the room to the wet bar, "are entirely too young to be that kind of jaded." Pouring scotch into two heavy glass tumblers, he returned to her side, holding out the liquor. "Drink that," he ordered.

Wrinkling her nose as she sniffed the contents, Pen looked up at her host. "Do I hafta?"

"Toss it back like cough medicine, Kitten, or I'll hold your nose and do it for you myself," he replied, bending to hover in front of her face, fully prepared to carry out his threat if necessary.

Smiling in silent satisfaction as she brought the glass to her lips and tilted it quickly, he patted her back as she sputtered.

"What the heck was that? Bleach? Ammonia? Freaking battery acid?" she wheezed, the fiery burn in her throat only reinforcing her suspicion that she'd just swallowed something completely hazardous to her continued health.

"That was premium scotch," Dave replied with a snort. "Usually it's meant to be savored, but you need to relax."

Coughing as she glared up at him, she grumbled, "Maybe next time you could serve me a side of rat poison. I think it would taste better."

Lips twitching at her creativity, Dave dropped the glass on the side table before sitting down on the coffee table in front of her. "Trust me, babe, you needed that," he said with a nod toward the now empty tumbler. "And you need to listen to what I'm saying. You are way too young to let a creep like Kevin Lynch color your outlook on the male species."

Cocking her head, Garcia narrowed her eyes on the older man. "Have you been paying attention, Agent Tall, Dark and Deadly? My last two relationships were with a serial killer and the world's biggest mama's boy. I think I need to look into lesbianism," she sighed morosely, scraping the toe of her shoe against the thick rug peeking from under the coffee table.

Raising an eyebrow, Dave choked back a laugh.

Seeing his amusement, Pen shook her head vigorously. "You can afford to laugh. You've managed to make it to the altar thrice," she said, stabbing three fingers into the air and wriggling them dramatically. "And, more importantly, your little swimmers can live forever," she asserted, idly waving a hand at his groin. "My eggs have an expiration date, and my woo woo is getting younger!" she said desperately.

"I'm certain your...woo woo is perfectly fine," Dave managed tightly, discussion of Penelope Garcia's body nearly rendering him incoherent himself. "And your eggs are a long way from retirement, sweetheart," he consoled, his mind trying to comprehend the fact that he was discussing procreation so matter-of-factly with this amazing woman.

Flopping back against the couch, Pen groaned. "What am I saying?" Pen grumbled. "I should have known something was off with Kevin when he kept finding more and more creative ways to keep my clothes on," she complained, plucking her fingers against her bright skirt. "You're a man," she said suddenly, her eyes finding Rossi's face again. "Aren't they supposed to want sex all the time? Not Kevin. Nope. But at least it all makes sense now...he probably shared mommy dearest's opinion of my body!"

Eyes flashing, Dave's jaw tightened. "Kitten, there isn't a damned thing wrong with your body. Trust me, I'm pretty sure the problem is on the dickhead's end," he ground out. "Not yours," he murmured, his eyes roving down Penelope's curves as he spoke. What man wouldn't want to see what treasures lurked underneath the fiery vixen's clothes? God knows, he'd spent enough time over the past few months imagining it. The dumbass was either blind or gay. Or both. Either way, he was going to find a way to teach the maggot a lesson.

But first, he had more important responsibilities to attend to.

And she was sitting right in front of him.


	6. Chapter 6

**Touched By An Angel**

**Chapter Six**

Thrusting her now empty glass between them at his chest, Penelope wrinkled her nose as she demanded, "I want more."

Dropping his gaze to the glass being jabbed insistently into his chest, Dave raised an eyebrow. "I'm not sure that's such a good idea, Kitten. This stuff is potent."

"I can handle," Pen snorted, shaking the tumbler for emphasis. "Hit me again, Stingy Britches. I've earned it."

Hearing the impatience coloring her voice, Dave sighed as he wrapped his fingers around the glass. "I have a feeling I'm going to seriously regret this," he muttered to himself as he stood and crossed the room back to the liquor cabinet. Grimacing as he poured a half shot into the glass and turned, Penelope's inelegant snort was enough to make him turn and ruefully reach for the bottle again.

Flopping back against Rossi's luxurious couch, Garcia sighed. "Don't be a 'fraidy cat, SuperAgent. Weren't you the one preaching to our captain last week about loosening up and cutting loose? I thought you were an advocate for throwing caution to the wind?"

"Throwing caution to the wind and getting shitfaced are two entirely separate kettles of fish," Dave warned sagely, returning to the couch and passing the liquor to the waiting woman. "Go slow with that. Just sip, babe," he urged, rolling his eyes as the whirlwind now gracing his sofa tilted the glass and took a gulp.

Slapping her hand to her thigh and stomping her feet against the oriental carpet, Penelope stuck her tongue out and shook her head vigorously. "Whoo!" she exclaimed, a new warmth spreading through her body as she lifted the leaden tumbler again.

"That is not going slow," Dave admonished, stilling her arm when she would have downed the rest. Maybe tackling a heartbroken Penelope Garcia on his own hadn't been his brightest idea. He must make a note of this for the future.

"Now, listen up, my little profiling paragon," Penelope replied, slapping a restraining hand against Dave's chest when he tried to relieve her of her glass, "You are quickly ruining what was shaping up to be a very nice little buzz. Don't ruin it for me."

Making another grab for the alcohol, Dave shook his head. "Angel, you're also going to have the matching hangover that comes with the buzz if you don't slow down. Trust me, speaking as one that has survived more than my fair share of those, it's not an experience you want to have."

Blowing a raspberry in his face, Penelope quickly downed the remaining contents before he could stop her, gasping a little as the scotch seared a trail down her esophagus. "Wowza," she shouted as Dave's eyes widened.

Blinking in shock, Dave shook his head before lifting a hand to wipe his wet face. Hearing Penelope's inebriated giggles, he shook his head and prayed for strength.

"I need more!" Penelope laughed, her palm landing sharply against Dave's groin as she bounded off the couch toward the wet bar.

"Oh, God," Dave groaned, pain radiating through his genitals as he slumped sideways on the couch. Making a half-hearted grab for Penelope as she danced past him, he willed away the rising nausea her blow had induced.

Yeah, he thought grimly, straightening with a concentrated effort, Kevin Lynch was definitely living on borrowed time. The stack of sins being laid at the hapless boy's door was growing by leaps and bounds. Forcing himself to rise, Davee shook his head sternly as Penelope waved the bottle at him across the room. "Don't you dare," he said sternly, settling his hands on his hips. "Penelope Amanda Garcia, put that bottle down," he ordered, trying not to laugh when her lower lip pouted out.

"Didn't you learn to share in kindergarten like the rest of the kids?" she pouted, her fingers tightening on the neck of the bottle as he approached.

"Honey, sharing is one thing I've never done well. Not with my women and not with my booze. Put it down," Dave directed her gently, pointing at the bar. "You don't need it."

"Do so! Do so!" she argued, taking a quick swig as she feinted to her left. "If I have to be fat and uncouth, I can at least be happy while I do it."

Mentally consigning the entire Lynch family a hell he would personally craft for them, Dave slowly advanced toward the weaving technical analyst. "Honey, I hate to be the one to tell you this, but I've decided that your former boyfriend is a douchebag that I'm going to take an inordinate amount of pleasure flushing down the toilet. Right after I eviscerate his parents for being uptight idiots. Nothing any of them said tonight was even moderately true."

Cocking her head, Penelope giggled again. Pointing at him with her free hand, she cackled, "You said douchebag."

"It seems like an accurate description, Kitten," Dave said reasonably, keeping his voice calm as he took another measured step toward her.

Narrowing her sparkling eyes on the man dogging her every movement, Penelope tucked the bottle of scotch closer to her body. "I know what you're doin'" she slurred suspiciously.

"Doing?" Dave echoed innocently, inching closer as she took an unsteady step backward.

"Uh huh," she nodded, tipping the bottle again and letting the wonderful liquor slide down her now numb throat. How had she ever thought this stuff tasted bad? It was like ambrosia against her tongue. Shifting her gaze back to a grim faced David Rossi, she smiled widely. "You want my b'tle," she said, holding it aloft.

"Actually, sweetheart, if you'll recall, it's my bottle," Dave chuckled, watching as the flush on Penelope's face deepened. Damn, he had to admit, for a lightweight, she was holding up pretty well. God knew, she was still wily as all hell.

"Possession, Agent FussBucket," she said, cocking a hip, "is nine-tenths the law. And if you wan' it," she announced, "you'll have to come in after it," she announced, shoving the bottle into her bra, nestled between her breasts.

"You know, I'm never going to let you live this down, honey," Dave informed her through lips that twitched.

"Blah, blah, blah," Garcia cackled. "Come and get it," she invited, shaking her breasts at him.

Mouth going dry as she wriggled her body enticingly, Dave reminded himself that she was drunk. There was no way she could be aware of what she was doing to his libido.

"Ahhhh, Davie's a scardy cat! Davie's a scardy cat!" she taunted, her eyes glimmering with merriment. "Here! I'll even make it a fair fight," she offered benevolently as she began to unbutton her shirt with one hand, the wonderful alcohol lowering every inhibition she ever had.

And as her silky shirt fell open and bared her creamy chest, David Rossi sprang into action.


	7. Chapter 7

**Touched By An Angel**

**Chapter Seven**

_Saint Patrick, Saint Christopher, Saint Jude,_ David Rossi silently chanted in a frantic effort to distract his reacting body from the mouthwatering sight in front of him as he watched Penelope Garcia's blouse shimmy down her perfectly rounded shoulders.

"C'mon, Agent Cat Got Your Tongue!" Penelope giggled, twirling in her bra and skirt in front of him, "Come and get it," she taunted as she wriggled her delicately formed eyebrows.

"Saint Michael, Saint Francis, Saint Peter, Saint Paul," he muttered hoarsely to himself as her breasts bounced enticingly while she shifted from side to side in front of him, the bottle of scotch precariously perched between her plump mounds. Stand down, his mind sharply ordered his rapidly increasing libido. This woman is off the menu. You shouldn't even have let her into your restaurant!

Lifting her hands to cup her full breasts, Penelope smiled ever so sweetly. "Don't you want it?" she asked mockingly, tilting her head as she swayed from side to side. "It's sooooo yummy!"

_Didn't he want it, his mind echoed incredulously_. A blind, deaf mute would want what she offered, but it sure as hell wasn't that bottle they'd be after. And God, how he wanted to taste what she offered...but it sure as hell wasn't in the bottle jiggling between her breasts. "Oh, I want it, Kitten," Dave muttered hoarsely, forcing his eyes from her breasts up to her face.

"Then try and take it," she provoked him coyly, taking a half step toward him. "Or are you scared?" she teased, giggling as she waved her hands in front of her.

Hell, yes, he was scared, he thought desperately. Terrified was an even better description. And the sad thing was that she didn't even realize what a temptation she was standing their half dressed. Get yourself under control, Rossi. She doesn't even realize what she's saying right now!

"You know," Pen chided lightly as he hesitated, "you look awfully uncomfortable, my Italian fireball."

"Honey, you're half naked. I _am_ uncomfortable here," Dave groaned, his body tightening in reaction to her near nudity. God, and what a vision she made...full breasts that just begged for a man's mouth. Smooth alabaster skin. I man could lose himself for days mapping a path of her voluptuous body. Hell, he'd kill the man that was brave enough to send a search party looking for him.

Hurt flashed in her eyes as her face darkened. "So, it's true! My body is repulsive! Just like they said! Well, I'm sorry that not all women can have Beach Tart Barbie's figure! Some of us actually have real curves...some of us..."

Eyes widening as she began her indignant tirade, Dave shook his head frantically. "Penelope, no!" he said quickly, stepping forward and capturing one wildly gesturing arm.

"Don't you dare deny it!" Penelope snapped at him with eyes that blazed with fury. "You just said..."

"...that I was uncomfortable. Yes! But not because I'm not enjoying the view!" Dave declared insistently, frowning as she attempted to side step him again. "It's because I'm enjoying the view way too fucking much," he said, giving up trying to capture her arm and simply wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her flush against his hard body.

Restrained in his embrace, Penelope Garcia's eyes widened as the contours of his body molded to hers, prominent evidence of his interest nestling intimately against her. Raising an eyebrow, she blinked at him. "That's not a pencil in your pocket, is it?" she asked faintly.

"No," Dave growled gruffly, his breath gusting against her cheek. "It's not! And I'll thank you to know that it's a hell of a lot thicker than a fucking pencil," he added, his voice affronted as he spoke through lips that barely moved. "Stop that," he ordered when she wriggled against him, her movements only making the problem in his pants more prominent.

"You mean that's because of me?" Penelope asked with a suddenly sunny smile.

"You really shouldn't sound so happy about that, Kitten," Dave groaned as her hips pressed into his again. "And stop that damned moving," he demanded roughly, keeping one arm around her as he plucked the bottle from between her breasts and dropped it back on the bar behind her. God in heaven, why had he thought he could handle this alone? He'd known he felt an attraction to the vibrant delight that was Penelope Garcia, but now, his body reminded him insistently that he'd never done so well in the department of denying himself things that he wanted. Resisting her...doing what was right...fucking sucked. Why the hell had he let himself forget that prominent fact?

"Why not?" Penelope asked brightly, her eyes slightly glazed as the focused on his now forbidding face. "We're not doing anything wrong. Not anymore!" She shrugged, looping one arm around his neck as she swayed against him. "Besides, I've always wondered what the legendary Italian Stallion was packin' in his pants."

Oh, God, Dave moaned to himself, she was determined to kill him. Slowly and painfully. Tightening his fingers around her hip, he shook his head. Clearing his throat as her fingers played idly with the hair at the base of his neck, Dave shook his head to clear his mind. "Well, the obvious reason is that I like living. If you didn't sober up and kill me, Derek Morgan would. Besides, babe, you're hurting and not thinking clearly. In the cold and sober light of day..."

"Poo," she snickered, cutting him off and blowing a raspberry at him. "I know how to keep a secret, Agent Worry Wart. Let's just see what's in those fussy britches of yours!" She winked, her hand shifting between them to pull at the zipper of his fly.

Quickly capturing her questing hand, Dave gasped as he felt her fingers stroked him through his jeans. "Have you ever heard that curiosity killed the cat, sweetheart?" Dave ground out as her palm cupped him. Evidently this sassy vixen wasn't just going to settle for killing him...she was going to torture him first...those sparkling orbs looking back at him told him so. And the inquisitive hand stroking his aroused flesh was making damn sure he got the message.

Wide eyed, Penelope met his gaze. "Of course!" she said cheerfully, nipping his chin playfully. "That's why they've got nine lives," she whispered loudly before pressing a wet kiss to his unsuspecting mouth.


	8. Chapter 8

**Touched By An Angel**

**Chapter Eight**

David Rossi wasn't a particularly generous man by nature. He didn't make a habit of turning his back on golden opportunities. Especially when the opportunity in question had a body that made his own rise to attention in all the right places and lips that could make the Pope rethink his choice in life. Which was why, his psyche chose this opportunity to violently protest the sudden change in the status quo.

Ah, hell, his mind screamed. Now, look what you did! Do you have any idea the havoc this woman will wreak on you for taking advantage of her in a weakened moment?

Except, that wasn't what happened, damn it! It really wasn't. His only ulterior motive for tonight had been to make sure she was okay. He had never expected...well, THIS, the this being the fact that her mouth tasted like heaven and she kissed like an angel. It wasn't his fault that his body was avidly reacting to the press of her skin against his...the feel of her tongue moving in his mouth.

This was not his fault.

Kissing her back would be his fault.

And he wasn't going to do that, he thought superiorly. He was going to stand here passively and resist the very ardent attentions of a woman that appeared to be making it her life's mission to tempt him beyond reason.

But he was going to remain strong in the face of such tantalizing pressure. He'd faced down vicious criminals and three of the most rabid ex-wives God had ever sent to plague the earth. He could withstand the attentions of one wily technical analyst, couldn't he? After all, he was David goddamn Rossi...well known for his control and finesse. He wasn't going to allow this bewitching bundle of energy to unnerve him.

And then he heard that damn little dissatisfied murmur as she pressed her breasts against his chest...that sound that clearly said, "Kiss me back already!".

And that he could have ignored. He could have pretended that he'd never heard it.

THAT he could have handled.

But, Penelope Garcia was nothing if not determined.

"Man, all those rumors I heard about you really were lies," Penelope grumbled against his mouth. "You don't know the first THING about kissing a woman, do you?"

While his psyche might be fighting for imminent control against the emotions threatening to stage a tsunami in his body, no red-blooded American man was going to be able to resist such a challenge. It would be a sin to allow such a charge to be placed against his account, wouldn't it? His Italian ancestors were probably rolling over in their mausoleums at the very thought of his not being able to rise to such an occasion.

It was his duty to prove her wrong. He knew it.

He also knew he was about to open the floodgates, which, when released, could never be slammed shut again.

"Damn it, woman, don't tempt me," he muttered against her lips, certain beyond a doubt that he was able to taste strawberries and all things beautiful. Focus, Rossi, he warned himself as he cupped her shoulders. "You don't know what you're asking, little girl. Don't strike a match if you're not willing to get burned."

Staring up into his darkening eyes, Penelope refused to back down from the challenge right before her. "Prove it, Rossi. Maybe I wanna dance in the flames. That is, if you can even figure out where you put the matches anymore," she taunted, her sparkling eyes dancing under the muted light of the burning lamps in the room.

Oh, now that just took the cake! This little vixen was damn near accusing him of senility. And while he might have a few miles on the tires, the wheels still worked just fine. Of course, if he'd been thinking clearly at that moment, he'd have realized she was taking swipes at his ego to provoke the reaction she wanted.

Of course, he'd passed the point of being able to think straight where this woman was concerned when he'd found her crying tonight over a guy that didn't come close to deserving her. Not that she knew that. Burying a hand in her loose curls, Dave tilted her head and covered her lips in one smooth motion. Moving from passive participation to dominating influence, he nipped her lower lip, pulling a gasp from her mouth. Merely waiting for the reaction he knew his little warning would precipitate, he swept his tongue into her mouth.

Smiling against her now slack lips as Penelope's nails dug into his neck, Dave felt a small thrill of satisfaction flood him. Take that, Kitten. Now where are those sharp little claws of yours? Question his skill in the fine art of kissing, would she? He'd romanced more women that she probably had met in her life. She was due a lesson in wordless French, wasn't she?

Of course, he probably shouldn't have been so confident. This was the goddess he was kissing, after all.

And she wasn't shy about letting him know it. Groaning as he felt her arms tighten around his neck and her body fit itself against his, it was his turn to gasp when she rolled her hips against his. "Penelope," he growled, quickly stilling her movement as her tongue dueled with his in a steamy battle of cat and mouse.

"Mmmm," she hummed, sucking gently on his lower lip. "That's more like it, Romeo," she purred, drawing back only long enough to attack his neck, nipping and sucking gently at the strong flesh. "I was worried there for a minute."

"Glad to know I've restored myself in your eyes," Dave managed as her tongue made a devious foray toward his ear. "Kitten, we've got to stop this," he groaned, cursing the way his legs weakened when her lips wrapped around his ear lobe and sucked lightly. Damn, the things she could do with her mouth ought to be illegal.

"I don't see why. I'm alone and horny. You're single and studly. Seems like a win-win to me," she sang against his ear. "Unless you've suddenly decided to bat for the other team?" She smiled, leaning bat to bat her eyelashes innocently.


	9. Chapter 9

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* * *

**Touched By An Angel**

**Chapter Nine**

Resist, his rational mind screamed wildly as her words sunk through his addled thoughts. His better angels joined in quickly, then…don't let her taunt you into doing something you're going to regret!

Hell, who was he kidding? Those weaklings hadn't a chance when his libido rose quickly, his lesser demons ready and able to take up the gauntlet she had just so casually thrown down.

Penelope Garcia was about to find out exactly how many home runs he had batted out of the park.

Dropping his hands to her full hips, he spun quickly, pressing her against the counter before she even realized they'd moved. Covering his lips with his, he took advantage of her gasp, grinning as he slid his tongue against hers and quickly took control.

"Trust me, babe, when I play ball, I'm always on the winning team," Dave growled as he trailed kisses against her neck, her breaths coming rapidly as she threw her head back.

Sighing as his hard body settled against hers, Penelope wove the fingers of one hand through his hair as his lips gently teased her sensitive neck, pulling uncontrollable shivers of delight from her body as her nipples pebbled against his chest. Determined to give as good as she got, somehow she wriggled a hand between them, her hand shimmying beneath his shirt to stroke the hard contours of his chest. Her palm encountered soft springy hair that tickled her skin and she smiled, luxuriating in the texture of the sinewy chest she'd managed to find.

Her hand stroking his skin only added fuel to the fire, pushing him further. Covering her lips again as her fingertips trailed downward, singeing a trail down his chest, Dave groaned as her fingers reached his belt buckle. Even half drunk, her efficient little hands made quick work of the barrier and she nearly rendered him catatonic a moment later as her soft palm encased him, drawing him out of his jeans. "Sweet God," he growled against her mouth, bucking his hips against her as she slid her hand around him and squeezed gently.

"Goddess," Penelope corrected between drugging kisses that left her hot and needy. "Know the deity you're kissing, Hot Lips."

"Oh, I know who I'm kissing, Penelope," Dave muttered, his mouth sliding over her cheek. And he knew if he continued this, he was on the express train to hell. But as God as his witness, he couldn't convince himself to stop. Rationally, he knew it was the sane choice to make. But she had the touch of an angel and lips that promised to show him heaven. How in the hell did a red blooded Italian American man walk away from that offer?

The simple and short answer was that he couldn't. Stopping now would not only erode her already shaken confidence in herself...and rob him of something that, if he was entirely honest with himself, he had wanted for a hell of a long time. There had to be some compromise that his conscience could comprise with his randy libido that would be satisfactory to all components of his psyche, right?

He was sure as hell determined to find out.

Groaning roughly into Penelope's mouth as her grip tightened purposefully, Dave knew his control was rapidly slipping away. Nipping her lower lip, he drew her body closer to his, easing her away from the wet bar and walking her backward toward the couch. He would have preferred his comfortable large bed, but taking her there meant this would only end one way. At least out here he had a chance of keeping this strictly about her.

There were more ways than one to offer Penelope the release she needed to find tonight. And God help him, he knew them all. True, it wouldn't be nearly as satisfying for him, but then again, tonight had never been about him and lust. It had become about her and her desire. And he could live with that. Sitting down on the couch, he pulled her into his lap before finding her lips again.

Her limbs felt heavy as she collapsed on top of him, his lips and tongue working her into a frenzy as he kissed her breathless. Whimpering when she lost her grip on his hot flesh, she felt him shush her against her cheek, his hand moving to cup one heavy breast. Fingering the clasp, Dave stared into her eyes. Not quite drunk, but definitely uninhibited, he thought grimly. "So what have you been hiding under those delightfully colorful dresses you where, Kitten?"

"I wouldn't want to tell you and ruin the surprise," Penelope whispered as she grinned. "Isn't half the fun unwrapping the gift while you hold your breath?"

A jolt of anticipation skittered down his spine as he dropped his eyes to the creamy skin of her chest. "I can assure you that while I adore the gift wrapping, I'm gonna love the present, cara mia," Dave murmured truthfully. Slowly sliding the hook free of the clasp, his breath caught in his throat as her breast spilled free. Shifting her in his arms, he growled his appreciation as his lips ghosted over the top of her full mounds. "Beautiful," he whispered against the warm globes as he caressed one swollen nipple with his thumb. "Absolutely gorgeous," he praised as his lips surrounded the dark red peak of the other breast and sucked gently.

Liquid fire pooled between her legs as his wet mouth worked over her, sucking and nibbling slowly, drinking his fill as his hands soothed her quivering flesh. His hands danced along her bare legs, petting and squeezing as his tongue slid against her nipples. Second base had never been stolen quiet this way, she thought wildly. Because this man didn't know how to thieve tactfully. No, he pillaged and possessed, marking her with an invisible brand that she wore proudly. Clenching her thighs together as his lips tugged at her breast, she moaned.

Her body was hungrier than she'd ever remembered it being. Hot and wet, she felt her core tighten with need. "Dave," she whimpered, shifting against his lap, his hard manhood hot against her hip, even through the thin material of her skirt. Pressing the heel of her hand over her wet core to try and relieve some of the painful pleasure, she moaned again.

Lifting his lips, he watched as she undulated against her hand. "Now, that's hot, cara." Dave smiled approvingly, reaching for the hem of the skirt and easing it up to her waist. "Show me how the Kitten likes to be stroked, beautiful."

* * *

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_**As always, thank each of you for reading, reviewing, alerting and favoriting our stories. We truly appreciate each one of you.**_


	10. Chapter 10

**Touched By An Angel**

**Chapter Ten**

Her frazzled mind knew what he was asking, and for a bare moment, she almost hesitated. After all, she wasn't a virgin and she definitely knew what her body wanted. But she had never done anything like this with another man before…nothing so blatant and yet so intimate. But then, she felt herself sliding back under the control of the wonderful libation that had so pleasantly dulled her senses, and her body begged for relief.

Relief that she just knew had to be right around the corner.

Sliding her finger against her dampened panties, Penelope moaned as her sensitive body responded to the touch. Dropping her head back against Dave's strong shoulder, her eyes closed again. Oh, how she needed this. Shifting against him, she moved her hand again, only to feel his strong fingers close around hers.

"Can't let you have all the fun, can I?" Dave growled in her ear as he deftly plucked at the thin strap of satin covering her secrets.

"Mmmm," Penelope hummed, stretching languorously against his chest as she watched his dark hand dusted with just the tiniest smattering of hair slowly inch down her stomach and underneath the elastic of her underwear.

Encountering nothing but the smoothest, silkiest skin, Dave's hand continued forward as his dick flexed. God, she was shaved, he thought desperately as his fingers wandered over her plump folds. Her wet heat scalded him as he separated her, running one finger along her most intimate flesh. Hearing her low whimper, he smiled against her neck as he stroked her again. "You like that?"

"Uh huh," Penelope groaned as she nodded eagerly, rocking her hips as she tried to tempt him to touch her where she needed him most. "Feels soooo good, Superagent," she breathed as his forefinger made a slow pass over her taut little nub, barely touching it.

"Pull down your panties, Kitten, so you can see what I'm doing to you," Dave ordered huskily.

Nodding instantly, Penelope shimmied quickly out of the satin drawers, sighing as he settled her against his groin again.

"Oh, that's pretty," Dave praised as he smiled against her ear, nipping her lobe as he stared down at her exposed flesh. "Nice and pink," he murmured, his fingers gently sliding against her puffy outer lips. "Spread your legs, sweetheart," he urged, helping her slide her legs over his as her back pressed against his chest. "I want to see how wet you are for me."

Biting her lip, her heart raced as she felt his low hum of approval resonate through her back as his fingers parted her, his finger sliding through her slippery juices.

"Gorgeous," Dave praised against her ear. "Warm and wet like syrup, Penelope. You like that, baby?" he asked, gentle piercing her with one finger, her soft walls surrounding his fingers.

"Yes!". She shuddered, arching her neck against his shoulder.

Smiling against her neck, Dave felt her body pulsing around his digit as he brushed her clitoris with his thumb. "So sexy, sweetheart," he murmured as her hips lifted against him. "That's it, baby," he crooned as he added a second finger. "Fuck yourself on my hand."

Her breath coming in soft gusts against his neck, Penelope's hips rose and fell as the pleasure became sweeter...sharper. "Ahhhh," she breathed as his lips kissed her neck, his tongue painting paths against her skin as his fingers sank deeper and deeper into her depths.

Unable to tear his eyes away from her pussy, Dave watched his fingers as they disappeared in and out of her sweet snug channel. "God, I'm horny," he groaned against her ear. "You feel my cock against your ass, Kitten? That's what you do to me," he growled, lifting his hips to rub his hardness against her soft flesh.

"Mmmm, yessss," Penelope sighed, the warm heat of his arousal searing her flesh. "D-dave..." she whined needily, "Would you..." she began, sinking her teeth into her lower lip as she struggled to voice her request.

"What, sweetheart?" Dave asked against her cheek, unable to tear his eyes away from her exposed body. Her breasts were flushed, her nipples tightened and puckered, her thighs shined with perspiration...and her core...that was like molten lava. "What do you want? All you have to do is tell me," he urged deeply, pressing kisses against her shoulder.

"I c-can't, "she gasped as his thumb flicked over her swollen nub again, sending shards of heat skittering through her body.

"Yes, you can, baby," Dave countered huskily.

"It's embarrassing," Penelope moaned, squirming against his hand as he slowed his strokes to an almost painfully slow rhythm.

"Sweetheart, my fingers are buried inside you and I'm very nearly ready to explode all over your pretty writhing ass. There's no such thing as embarrassing right now between us," Dave assured her, his low voice sexy and hypnotic. "Tell me what you want," he demanded, nipping her neck warningly.

"I want you between my legs...your mouth," Penelope confided faintly as his thumb brushed her clit again.

"You want my lips here?" Dave asked, circling her bud with his thumb. "Sucking and licking?"

"Oh, God, yes," Penelope groaned heavily as she nodded. "I want you to eat me like candy, Dave. I want to finally be with a man that knows what the hell he's doing."

Dave wasn't sure how it was biologically possible, but he felt himself swell impossibly harder. Shifting her smoothly off his lap and onto the sofa beside him, he smiled almost ferally. "Anything you want, Kitten," he murmured hoarsely, his mouth watering for a taste of her honey. He turned and first one, and then the other leg over his shoulder before bending over her core.

Licking his lips hungrily he eyed his prize before he turned his head to press his lips against the inside of one quivering thigh. "You smell sweet, cara. Like sunshine and strawberries."

"I do?" Pen whispered uncertainly as his lips moved against her thigh.

"Mmmmm," Dave hummed, turning his head to kiss the inside of the opposite thigh. "You do. And I can't wait to make a meal of you, sweetheart."

And releasing a shuddery breath, Penelope watched as Dave's head lowered.


	11. Chapter 11

**Touched By an Angel**

**Chapter Eleven**

Penelope Garcia would have sworn she'd experienced an orgasm in her sexual past. She would have bet every red cent she had on it. But, nothing, nothing had ever prepared her for the almost cathartic event she experienced in David Rossi's capable hands.

Tongue, lips and teeth worked in complete harmony to work her into an unbelievable frenzy. The heights he carried her to should have given her altitude sickness, but, instead, it was a headily intoxicating blend of keen sensation and unimaginable pleasure.

Gasping as his velvety tongue made yet another pass over her tangle of supersensitive nerves, she moaned low in her throat. Were those sounds actually coming from her, she wondered wildly as his fingers curled inside her, stroking over that hidden erogenous zone that seemed to elude most men.

Arching sensuously into his touch, Penelope knew that this had to be as close as she'd ever get to heaven while she was still breathing. His practiced hands caressed her, one palm squeezing a heavy aching breast while the other tortured her with a slow slide of his fingers. And all the while, his mouth kept moving, his tongue swirling, finding all those hidden spots that no man had ever bothered to do more than pay a passing attention to. He, however, found each one, exploiting and manipulating her to his will.

Writhing against the plush sofa, she moaned again, this time throatily. "Dave!" she panted desperately, clutching his shoulders as she made one last bid for sanity. "It's too much!"

She heard his answering chuckle against her wet flesh, his warm breath fanning over her intimate secrets and she wondered how something could sound so sexy and sinister at the exact same moment. But that was David Rossi…always up for making the impossible mundane. .

"Now, Kitten, we both know that you'd never concede defeat that easily," Dave murmured against her damp curls, his tongue swirling erotically around her tightened bud before kissing a path up her abdomen to blow against her bellybutton.

Swallowing a squeal as she felt his tongue slide along her quivering stomach, Penelope squeezed her eyes shut as incredible swells of pleasure threatened to drown her. "You're torturing me," she accused breathlessly as his beard tickled the her flushed skin.

Torturing her? Dave would have laughed at the assertion if he could have. Unfortunately, it was taking every ounce of self-control he possessed not to rise over her willing body and plunge into her beckoning heat. But, this wasn't about him, he reminded himself for the umpteenth time. It was for her…her pleasure…her confidence. Her, her, her, his mind yelled at his raging libido. Keep your focus, Rossi.

Catching his broad shoulders in her hands, Pen lifted her head, arching her hips as she met his dark, heavy lidded eyes. "Dave, please," she moaned, pulling at his shoulder as one of her hands slid to the nape of his neck, urging his lips back to hers.

Smiling as he finally reached her mouth, she caught his groan against her lips as their tongues met, the sweet flavor of her desire coloring the carnal kiss. Easily insinuating her hand between them, she pulled at his belt as their lips hungrily met, each touch wilder and hotter than the last.

Gasping as he felt her soft palm envelop his cock, Dave tore his mouth away from hers. "Kitten," he rasped against her ear as he thrust himself involuntarily against her hand, "This is getting out of control. You keep doing that and I'm not going to be able to hold back," he warned huskily, her fingers massaging the swollen flesh she held in a way that would have brought the Devil to his knees.

"Promise?" Pen goaded throatily as she slid her thumb against his tip and pulled a shudder from his body. Pressing small wet kisses against his corded throat, Penelope felt a small thrill of satisfaction as Dave groaned again and his hard body tensed above hers. "What happens when you lose your control, SuperAgent?" she asked, squeezing his hard throbbing length in her hand. "Fireworks and explosions or rainbows and nirvana?" she taunted, trailing her fingers over his length to gently stroke his twin sacs.

Capturing her questing hand in his, Dave stilled her wanton movements, lifting his head to stare down into her bright eyes. "You're walking a little too close to the wild side now, Sweetheart. I've just about gone as far as the leash I put on myself will allow."

"Then break the chain, Stud," Penelope dared the man above her boldly as she wrapped one leg around his hip and lifted herself to him. "Or can't you force the old dog off the porch anymore," she added in a sassy whisper.

Masculine pride refused to let him ignore the challenge she'd just thrown down between them. His eyes glittered in the shadowy darkness as he smiled slowly, the man now pure predator. "Big words from such a pretty little thing, dolce," he whispered against her cheek, rolling his hips to tease her moist entrance with the tip of his penis.

"Dolce?" Penelope repeated, the word rolling off her tongue as she strained closer to him.

"Mmmm,"Dave hummed, dipping his head to inhale her sweet scent. Part honeycomb, part vanilla, part warm, willing woman…her unique fragrance was enough to enflame him more than any aphrodisiac he'd ever encountered. "It means sweet. Like you," he rumbled, his lips caressing her cheek. "Creamy and rich…you're absolutely decadent, Penelope."

Penelope shivered as his words of praise sent a slow flood of warmth rolling down her spine. "Really?" she whispered almost shyly, hesitantly lifting her eyes to his as he hovered above her, poised on the brink of joining their bodies.

"You know I don't lie, Kitten," Dave reminded her huskily, his gaze softening as he saw the brief indecision flash in her eyes. "You're perfect. Anyone that told you otherwise was a fool." One he wouldn't mind permanently removing from her airspace at his earliest convenience. "But, if you aren't sure about this…" he continued in a low voice as he began to back away.

"I know what I'm doing." Penelope shook her head as she tightened her arms around his neck, stalling his retreat. "And I'm even more aware of who I'm doing it with."


	12. Chapter 12

**Touched By an Angel**

**Chapter Twelve**

"Then you should know that…"

"I know everything I need to know," Penelope moaned as she arched up toward him, her body literally begging for his touch again. "And I know what I need. I need you, Dave. Right now," she confided huskily, her body crying out for his in the most primitive way that existed.

"And that's all I needed to hear," Dave growled darkly as he once again captured her lips with his, losing himself in the headiness of the connection. But something inside him stilled, his mind needing to give her body one last cautionary moment to back out. Reluctantly drawing away, he met her dazed eyes as he whispered, "There's no going back, Kitten. I won't be satisfied with just a taste of the nectar, never to sample the fruit on the tree again."

Licking her lips, Penelope forced herself to answer, the words hard to form as her mind fought to overcome the hum of her body, "It's yours. Just don't make me wait any more. Please."

And in that moment, she felt his manhood sink into her, inch by agonizing inch, filling her in a way that she had never experienced before. The delightful stretching drove her to the brink, taking her breath, and she felt herself gasp as he eased her hips lower.

Oh sweet mother of God, Dave thought almost reverently as he sheathed himself completely into her perfectly tight and warm heat. Somehow, he had known that she was Nirvana, and he was not disappointed. Glancing up at her face as he shifted them both into a better position, he stilled suddenly. "Kitten?" Dave asked worriedly as her eyes snapped closed and her breath came sharply. "Is it too much? I'll…"

"Don't you dare do anything other than what you're already doing, David Rossi," she choked out as she dug her nails into his broad shoulders. Gasping as he sank deeply into her, his chest settling heavily over hers, Penelope tightened her arms around his back. He was so hot, his flesh branding her as his. Lifting her head, Pen searched blindly for his lips while her body softened around his.

Rolling his hips slightly, he slid a little deeper into the molten heat of her channel. "Yes," he groaned deeply as her walls tightened around him, threatening to push him over the edge. It was the sweetest friction he'd ever experienced, her body fitting his perfectly. "God, that's good," he praised hoarsely as his fingers tightened around her hips, pulling her impossibly closer.

"Mmmm," Penelope hummed as his length seemed to swell inside her, stretching her tender tissues in the most exquisite possession, "Don't stop," she urged, nipping his earlobe as she squirmed underneath him, her legs hooking over his hips in silent invitation when she felt him drawing back from her. "You're stopping?" she gasped when he slipped from her body, leaving her feeling empty and bereft. "You can't be serious!"

"Babe," Dave whispered as he began to chuckle as her eyes flashed up at him, warning him of a certain impending doom if he even contemplated leaving her unsatisfied.

"You're laughing?" Penelope growled, slapping her hand against one muscled bicep before squealing in surprise as she was hauled high into his arms. Automatically reaching around his neck, she heard his answering chuckle.

"It's going to take more than three feet of couch space for the things I want to do to you, Penelope," he murmured, quickly making his way across the hall to one of the spare bedrooms.

Gasping breathlessly as she felt him drop her on a firm mattress a second later, she had to admit he'd had a point. This surface was much more conducive to the activities she hoped he'd commence in short order.

"Better?" Dave grinned, blanketing her body a moment later, his arousal already probing her slick folds.

"Mmmm, much," she agreed huskily, her hands sliding around his neck to guide his talented lips back to hers. "I was worried you were going to stop and I was gonna be forced to ruin that devilish reputation of yours," she taunted against his ear, moaning again when his fingers found one swollen nipple, pinching lightly.

"I promise, the only intention I had was more room to show you how exactly I got the reputation, Dolce," he informed her with a slow smile against her neck. "Let me demonstrate, Angel," he whispered, slowly penetrating her again with a smooth pivot of his hips.

"Oh, God," she sighed as his heated flesh moved within her, his thumb moving between them to stroke her sensitive bud with a sensually practiced caress.

"How does that feel, cara?" Dave rumbled against her cheek, her sweet scent intoxicating him and threatening to drive him insane. He fought the urge to thrust wildly, to possess her so deeply that every other encounter she'd had with a man was erased from her mind. His desire to mark her as his dug into him with sharpened talons that would have shredded a lesser man's control.

"So good," she groaned, arching her hips as she struggled to force him deeper inside her. She could feel his need, pulsing within her, the promise of paradise hovering just out of reach. "Fuck me," she urged breathlessly, wrapping her legs around his hips. With the heels of her feet, she pressed against his flexing ass, her ardent demand unspoken, yet as loud as any shriek she could have screamed.

Unable to resist her plea, he slowly thrust into the tight heat she offered him. The pleasure was intense, her sexy body a tight, wet haven that he would have sworn had been made specifically for him. Tongues and lips mated wildly as he plunged within her, each stroke deeper and longer than the last.

Tilting her hips to receive each steady thrust, Penelope thrashed beneath him, her core drenched with need and desperate for release. Yelping as she felt her back suddenly leave the bed, she gasped as Dave rolled to his back, bring her astride him, his cock buried to the hilt within her as his balls nestled her swollen folds. "What are you…"

Lifting his head, he captured one turgid raspberry nipple with his lips, ordering roughly, "Ride, Penelope. It's your turn to fuck _me._"


	13. Chapter 13

**Touched By an Angel**

**Chapter Thirteen**

There wasn't anything Penelope Garcia liked better than a warm, cozy bed. A soft pillow and a nice smooth sheet were her best friends, especially when she was sick…or, better yet, suffering a hangover.

As a rule, she didn't drink much. And even more seldom was the case where she drank to excess…but, when she did…her bed was her solemn pal.

Except, as she cracked one bleary eye and squinted at the at the early morning sunshine filtering through the cracked window, she had a problem. A big one. No, that wasn't right, either. Big was too conservative a word. Gi-normous would work, though…

That wasn't her bright cheery yellow paint on the bedroom wall across the room from her. If she wasn't mistaken…it was a moss green. And the sheet covering her was entirely too luxurious to belong to her. A thousand thread count, at least…way too rich for her blood. And the decidedly weighty arm anchoring her to the firm mattress was dusted with hair much too dark to belong to Reid…and said arm was much too pale to belong to bestie, Derek Morgan. Since she couldn't imagine staid boss man Aaron Hotchner sliding into bed behind her and she remembered for a fact ex-boyfriend would never be sleeping within the vicinity of her body again, then that could ONLY mean….

_OhGodOhGodOhGod, _her hazy mind chanted. This couldn't be happening! _Nononononono!_

Maybe it was innocent, she thought desperately.

"_Yeah," her conscience sneered back, "You accidently tripped and fell into David Rossi's freaking bed and since he was worried, he climbed in with you. Naked if the warm flesh behind you is any indication."_

No, she screamed silently, she wouldn't have done this. With him! She might be known for wearing her rose tinted glasses, but not even she was fool enough to hop into bed with the well known Lothario of the FBI, was she? Never mind that he was mouthwateringly masculine…and known to have spontaneously combusted more than one bed with his skill…she couldn't have been that drunk.

Could she?

But the telltale soreness between her legs…the protesting muscles in her thighs…and the very real burn of a certain someone's beard against her still tingling breasts were evidence to the contrary. Sweet mother of Macintosh, she'd gone and done it with a friggin' legend.

Squeezing her eyes shut, she felt her cheeks flood with color. Embarrassed didn't even begin to cover it. Mortified would have been much closer to the truth. But even as she felt her cheeks heat, memories from the previous night flashed through her mind.

_Her, on her knees…pleasuring Dave. Dave, between her legs, pleasuring HER. Dave's face as he slid into her. Her startled yelp as he'd rolled her on top of him. On the couch…in the bed…and once, in front of the mirror, her hands braced against the sink in the bathroom as he took her from behind._

Oh, sweet God….it had really happened. This wasn't one of the many dreams she'd had about him over the years. Nuh uh, even her fantasies hadn't been that smoking hot. Last night, she'd actually boinked her boss with gusto and a verve that astonished her in the cold light of day. Well, maybe not technically her _boss_, but close enough for government work.

"_No pun intended" her conscience snickered, clearly enjoying her hostess' discomfort. "Get it, get it?_

Oh, she'd gotten it, all right. And, God, as if she didn't have enough problems already, her conscience seemed to have taken on the tone of Erin Strauss at her most sarcastic. Just great. Strauss inside her head was all she needed. Especially since she was currently ensconced in the bed of that woman's arch-nemesis.

Oh, how could something so bad have felt so goooooddddd! Not just good in the traditional sense, either. The things they'd done together during the night had been anything _but_ ordinary. No, it had been hot and sensual and so bone-meltingly satisfying that it defied comprehension.

She'd never had sex like that before…ever. In her entire life, she hadn't imagined her body could experience that level of searing, white hot pleasure. David Rossi's sexual prowess was like Godiva chocolate served on Christmas morning by Hercules, himself. He'd forced her to feel things she didn't know she was capable of feeling. And he'd done it over and over and over again.

Freaking over-achiever.

Shifting tentatively under his surprisingly strong arm, Penelope held her breath as the limb contracted around her waist, hauling her closer to his furry chest, his warm breath fanning the sensitive skin of her neck and pulling chills bumps to her flesh. Oh, God, he was gonna wake up soon! What was she going to do then? There certainly wasn't a graceful way to bow out of this situation. She surmised that she was completely nude beneath the silky sheet and a quick peak below confirmed her suspicions.

Yup, she thought glumly. Definitely au natural. Nothing but the skin God had bestowed upon her.

Cripes!

How in the name of Bill Gates' billions had she managed to get herself into this fix? Sure, she'd been heartbroken and lonely. That much she remembered. Kevin had effectively ripped her heart out last night and left her self-esteem in shreds…but, what about sleeping with Rossi had convinced her that was a viable cure for misery?

Stifling a shrill scream, Pen turned her face into the downy pillow beneath her head. Was it possible to smother yourself, she questioned the Fates hopefully.

"_Nope, the Powers-That-Be wanna see the end of this bad movie play out, sister," _her conscience cackled mercilessly. _"We're not missing THIS!"_

"Oh, SHUT UP! Shut up, shut up, SHUT UP!" Pen growled roughly, pressing a hand to her ear as she prayed for strength.

"To the best of my knowledge," a sleep roughened voice replied on a yawn, "It's impossible for me to honor that request before I've even said anything."

Startled, Penelope flipped to her back, her elbow connecting solidly with her bedmate's sternum.

"Good morning, Penelope."


	14. Chapter 14

**Touched By an Angel**

**Chapter Fourteen**

Jumping a foot in the bed, she landed with a bounce, her elbow connecting with Dave's nose as she reared back. "Oh my God!" she screamed, snatching the sheet to her breasts when she would have offered him yet another free show.

Groaning, Dave pressed a hand to his nose as he tried to clear his vision of the stars floating in front of his eyes. "Talk about a wake-up call," he moaned into his hand.

"You scared me!" Penelope accused, grimacing as she watched Dave swipe at the blood underneath his nose. "Are you okay? Lemmee see," she demanded with a wince, reaching to snare his wrist in an attempt to see the damage she'd inflicted.

"What's a little broken nose between friends and lovers," Dave sighed as Garcia tenderly probed his injured nose.

"It's not broken," Pen muttered, shoving her hair out of her eyes with an anxious hand. "Maybe a little bent, but not broken."

Rubbing his chest where her first blow had landed, Dave eyed the woman in bed with him cautiously. She was almost vibrating inside her skin. Capturing her hand, he squeezed it once. "I'm fine. You just caught me off guard. I think the better question might be are you all right?"

Staring at him with wild eyes, Pen's throat worked frantically. "Me?" she squeaked. "I'm just peachy! It's a very normal occurrence to wake up naked in your boss's bed! I'm stoked! Can't you tell?"

"Sarcasm?" Dave asked, lifting his eyebrow. He knew he shouldn't goad her…but, she was entirely too appealing when she had that slightly homicidal glint in her eyes.

"Ya think!" Pen yelled, jabbing a finger into his chest. His surprisingly solid, muscled and oh so gorgeous bare chest! "What did _you_ do?" she shrieked.

"Okay, you can just turn that finger right around, sweetheart," Dave chided, removing the nail embedded in his chest with alacrity. Damn, but the gorgeous woman needed to trim her talons. "There was very much a _we_ in this bed last night. I can assure you that it was a fully cooperative experience that we both found supremely satisfying."

Oh, he was right, Penelope thought grimly. She'd been a very active, eager and interested participant in last night's festivities. In fact, she was fairly certain she'd initiated a few games of her own….especially in the shower. Gulping, she tried to think of something…anything to say. But for the first time in her life, she was speechless. Staring mutely at the bare chested man in front of her, she wondered if she could just wish him away. Close her eyes and chant 'There's no place like home' until she awoke in her own bed completely alone.

Squeezing her eyelids tightly closed, she cracked one a moment later to find him staring at her, amusement shining in his dancing eyes. Oh, how she'd like to pluck those balls from their sockets. Come to think of it, she wouldn't remind removing both sets of his balls.

They'd be a matched set.

"I can assure you that I'm not a figment of your imagination, kitten," Dave informed her, his lips twitching.

"So much for a dream is a wish your heart makes," Penelope muttered unhappily, shifting beside him when the sheet slipped down her chest. Pulling it up to her neck again, she met that sardonic stare again. "Is there any chance at all that you'd be willing to agree that last night was just an alcohol induced delusion?" she asked hopefully, cocking her head to bat her eyelashes in his direction. It was work a try, she thought. It always worked with her Chocolate God of Thunder.

"I wasn't drunk and I'm not Morgan," Rossi returned wryly, propping up on one elbow. "The eye thing doesn't work on me. I'm immune."

"Rats," Penelope grumbled. It was worth a shot. Who knew the dirty dog knew her so well? She certainly hadn't. "How 'bout blackmail?" she said brightly, batting her eyelashes. "You wouldn't want the details of last night to leak into the office grapevine, would you?"

"Since I'm not ashamed of anything I did, it wouldn't really matter to me." Dave grinned, bunching one pillow behind him as he leaned back to watch her expressive face. "In fact, I rather enjoyed it. You did, too, if the moaning was any indication."

"Crrraaaappp," Pen whined, slamming her fist into a pillow, slightly miffed that it wasn't something more solid. Nothing was working out this morning at all.

"You know, it's not the end of the world, Cara," Dave soothed. "In fact, you could look at it as one of those new beginnings you girls are always wishing for. Why don't you come down here and we'll start this morning over again," he suggested, tugging her wrist toward him.

"Are you nuts!? We can't," Penelope gasped even as her tightening nipples assured her that she indeed _could_. "You're my boss! I'm in a…Oh, God…Kevin!" she yelled.

"I'm not your boss," Dave said patiently, patently unconcerned by either of her screeched arguments. "Hotch is your boss. I'm just a guy on the team…"

"Just a guy on the team?" Pen echoed, her jaw falling open. "You are THE guy on the team! The one that Boss Man warned each and every one of us girls about! At length…in memos…in conferences…there was even talk of a skywritten message. It was going to say, "Don't FUCK David Rossi!""

"Who knew Aaron was so efficient?" Dave grinned as he wriggled his eyebrows. "If it helps though, we did a lot more than fucking last night."

Hurling herself at the older man, Penelope slapped a hand against his mouth before he could say anything else to infuriate her. "Stop talking or I swear to God I'll smother you with a pillow and tell God you died of natural causes!" she threatened, brandishing the down pillow beside his head like a weapon. "You have GOT to stop talking! Because when you speak, I can't THINK. And trust me, David Rossi, I need to find all my marbles and get them out of this bed!"

Breathing hard as she tried to get control of her jangled senses, she froze as her cell phone rang from the bedside table. And, sweet Apple computer…only one person had that ring tone….

KEVIN!


	15. Chapter 15

**Touched by an Angel**

**Chapter Fifteen**

"Oh,no!" Penelope panicked, scrambling for the smartphone, the need to silence the object nearly suffocating her. "No, no, no, no, noooooooooo!" she shrieked, her fingers clumsily pawing at the screen as the 'Farmer and the Dell' seemed to reach a crescendo.

Later, when she was calm again, she would realize that the rational choice would have been to simply let the phone ring until it went to voice mail. But when a gal is sitting with only a sheet shrouding her naked body in the huge bed of an equally naked well known god of Chaos, common sense and rationale were fleeting commodities.

Two of which she was, sadly, lacking.

Because, somehow, the prima ballerina of the technological world fumbled the phone she held right on.

"Penny?" Kevin Lynch's pasty face said from her small screen.

Oh, holy hell, had she just answered a _video_ call, she asked herself in horrified amazement.

"Penny? Where are you? That isn't your bedroom! Are you _naked_?"

"I really don't think that's any of your business, Kevin," Penelope replied with as much dignity as she could muster, considering the fact that her grip on the sheet was slipping thanks to her current roomie's errant fingers. "You made it clear last night that I was not up to either you or your exacting mother's standards. You no longer get to have an opinion or get to ask questions."

"Sweetums, now come on. Everybody was a little too sensitive last night, don't you think?" the video version of Kevin asked plaintively. "We should talk about this, shouldn't we?

Gulping as she floundered for an answer, she watched in amazement as her former boyfriend's eyes widened as David Rossi moved to rest his head on Penelope's rounded bare shoulder.

"Wanna know what I think?" Dave drawled laconically, his eyes narrowing on the sputtering man on screen. "I think your mom is an uptight bitch and you're a coward. I think it's way too early to disturb somebody you allowed your parents to decimate hours ago from her sleep. And finally," he added as he smiled slowly, his teeth flashing predatorily as his eyes narrowed to slits, "I know it's way too early to disturb myself when I'm on my way to getting laid again. Goodbye, Lynch," he said with a conspiratorial wink before stabbing the red button on the phone Penelope held with shaking hands.

Taking the ultra slim contraption from her seemingly paralyzed fingers, Dave tossed it back on the nightstand with a careless hand. Talk about a mood killer, he thought glumly, settling back against the headboard as Penelope stared at him with unblinking wide eyes.

After almost a full minute during which Pen struggled to process the events of the last five minutes, she finally found her tongue. "What did you do?" she asked faintly, her voice breathless as the undeniable implication of his actions began to register within her psyche. "Oh, God, what did you DO?" she squealed, catapulting toward him as she landed a series of well placed blows against his stomach.

Prepared for her assault this time, Dave's hand captured her wrists easily and he wrestled her to her back with a minimum of effort on his part. "Now, cara," he chided calmly, grinning down at her frazzled face, "Calm down."

"Calm down?" Penelope echoed, laughing hysterically. "Do you have any idea what you just did, you Italian excuse for Hitler!"

Pinning her squirming body with his, Dave watched as the flush on her cheeks deepened. "I think you might mean Mussolini, babe, and the way I see it, I simply just killed two birds with one stone," he announced in an unconcerned, almost bored tone, tightening her fingers around her wrists as his groin recognized the warm soft place nestling it as one it was more than a little interested in exploring. Little Dave was more than a trifle excited to come out and play again, this particular playground one that he had found that he adored. "First, I let that irritating little shit know that he's lost you. For good. And second, I announced my intentions."

"Your intentions?" Garcia gaped, her eyebrows lifting toward the stratosphere as her chest heaved with exertion, the sheet covering her slipping another few precious inches.

He grinned wickedly, her body trembling beneath his. "I believe I mentioned something about getting laid again, remember?"

"I thought you just said that to goad Kevin," Garcia squeaked as she felt the evidence of his intentions prodding her through the sheet twisted at her hips. "To mess with him," she added tremulously.

"I never say things I don't mean, Kitten," Dave reminded her, nipping her full lower lip in gentle rebuke.

"Oh! I…ahhhh," she sputtered, her thoughts becoming muddled again as she felt his hand sliding up her naked thigh as his head dipped to nuzzle the side of her neck. "You…me….," she began, stumbling over her words as his lips caressed the sensitive flesh underneath her ear. "This isn't a good idea," she finally managed weakly.

"Feels like a wonderful idea," Dave countered smoothly, his hand closing around the firm muscle of her thigh, tugging her leg over his hip, earning him a much more admirable position in the cradle of her body. Her mind might be resistant to the idea of spending the morning in his arms, but he could already feel her body softening for him. Sucking gently on the shell of her ear, he felt her small hands automatically grip his shoulders, pulling him closer as she tilted her head.

Biting her lip as she released a breathy moan while his lips and teeth plundered the column of her neck, she wondered briefly if she was still sleeping somewhere and this was just a fantasy her mind had produced to ease her battered heart.

The feel of insistent hands purposefully pulling the sheet from between them assured her that this was all too real. The hot slide of his mouth covering hers was far from imaginary. And the scorching heat of his hardened arousal slipping between her already slick nether lips was anything but a product of her overloaded mind.

And before she could talk herself out of it, she threw herself headlong into the sensual delight known as David Rossi once again.


	16. Chapter 16

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**Touched By An Angel**

**Chapter Sixteen**

Experience was a valuable teacher. Over the years, he'd learned more than his fair share of helpful lessons, the most important of which was that when you found something precious, you held onto it for dear life.

And Penelope Garcia definitely qualified as priceless beyond measure. Where last night had been frenzied and passionate, this morning was slow and heartfelt, each touch designed to draw a low moan or soft gasp from her lips. Groaning as her velvety lips moved against his neck, he laced his fingers with hers. Lifting his eyes to stare down at her, he murmured, "Penelope, this isn't just sex. You know that, don't you?"

Blinking as she processed the words coming from his lips, she shook her head against the pillow. "W-what?"

"I'm way too old for one night stands, Kitten," Dave clarified as he rolled his hips just slightly, barely entering her. "And you are much too special for me to walk away from," he breathed, dipping his head to capture her lips in a searing kiss as he sank into her.

"How am I supposed to respond to that when we're….when you're…." Penelope stammered, moaning as his staff flexed within her, brushing that secret spot that made her toes curl into the sheets.

"Making love to you?" Dave smiled against her cheek. "I figured there was no time like the present to make you aware of my noble intentions. I'm going to woo you, Penelope. And eventually, I'm gonna win you."

"Oh, God," Penelope moaned when his hips rocked against her. What the hell was happening here? David Rossi was talking about wooing and winning while driving her to madness with his wee wee. This _had_ to be a dream.

Thrusting gently, Dave watched her dazed eyes darken a shade. It was obvious that she was torn between arguing with him and giving herself over to the moment, and he set about coaxing the response he wanted from her lips. Nibbling her neck as he eased his hand over her breast, he felt her breath catch when his thumb stroked her nipple.

Lifting her pelvis to meet his shallow strokes, a jolt of pleasure surged through her. Penelope gasped and her fingers tightening in Dave's hair as the sensation intensified. " I c-can't think when you do that," she cried out when he brushed her breasts again, stars appearing behind her closed eyes.

"Good," he rumbled in approval, relishing the look of dazzled amazement suffusing Penelope's face. "I prefer it when you just feel," he murmured, satisfied when he felt that eager twist of her hips meeting his next thrust, the wet slide of her passage against his flesh driving him insane. "God," he growled when her smooth leg curled around his waist, drawing him deeper inside her snug channel.

Moving faster, he gripped her thigh as he delved deeper, searching for that perfect bliss they'd achieved together last night. Every downward thrust pulled a sound from her parted lips as she met his body with an arch of her back. Holy God, she was like molten lava surrounding him, burning him with her own special brand of fire.

Wrapping her arms tightly around his neck, Pen gave herself up to the moment. Later, she might regret it, but for now, she was caged beneath him, enjoying a mating so intense, it threatened to consume the bed in flames. It was almost funny. Before now, she'd hated the missionary position. But then, she'd always been with men before that didn't have a dominant bone in their bodies. David Rossi, however, was the very definition of alpha male. Passivity would be a curse word in his personal dictionary.

"Mmmmmm," she moaned as the sweet ache bloomed within her and became almost unbearable. "Yes," she hissed as his thrusts became more focused. "Oh, God, right there," she wailed as he reached that elusive spot inside her that very few before him had ever found. "Right there, Dave!" she groaned, tightening her legs around his waist.

Feeling her body contract around his, he growled against her mouth as the grip of her passage around him threatened to rob him of his control. Tight and wet, she was everything a man could want. "That's it, Kitten," he panted as her body blossomed around him like a flower opening to the first gentle rays of spring sunshine.

"Yes, yes, yes," Penelope gasped, frantic to experience that violent explosion in his arms. Shuddering as the first wave of fulfillment rose, she screamed hoarsely against his cheek.

His own body spasmed as her core clenched around his cock tightly, a soft vice milking the essence from his body. Throwing his head back as he moved wildly within her, his shout of triumph was hoarse and deep as he filled her with steamy pulses of his seed.

Satisfied didn't begin to describe what he felt as he collapsed over her, finding her lips and kissing her gently as he carefully pulled from the cradle of her body. "Now," he breathed contentedly, "that's the way this morning _should_ have began."

Her muscles quivered as she felt him slide from her body and shift to the side. Holy Black Cape, Batman! She'd never felt anything like that before! She wasn't even aware she _could_ feel that kind of bliss. Oh, she'd heard rumors of what orgasms were supposed to feel like, but never having experienced it herself, she'd always thought her fellow woman was overstating the anomaly.

She now had proof positive that the Big O was alive and well and could dwell within her.

There was the small problem of who'd helped her achieve it, she thought, turning her head to gaze at the large man beside her. His eyes were closed and he had the look of a lion that had just toppled a gazelle, but he was very definitely real.

And unless she'd misunderstood what he'd been saying to her earlier, she now had a very large, very virile Italian problem in the form of Special Agent David Rossi.

* * *

_**SPECIAL NOTE: AND NOW THE BIG NEWS- THE AWARDS SEASON HAS COMMENCED! Nominations have opened for the third annual Profiler's Choice Awards for Criminal Minds' fandom! Please visit Chit Chat on Author's Corner forum for the nomination ballot, rules and guidelines and category definitions. Please review ALL information BEFORE submitting your nomination ballot. Ilovetvalot, Tonnie2001969, and HXChick are NOT eligible for ANY awards. PLEASE COME BY THE FORUM AND TAKE A LOOK. EVERY NOMINATION BALLOT IS IMPORTANT!**_

_**Also, we have the Halloween Challenge ready for signups at the forum for anyone interested!**_

_**Also, please check out our brand new multi-chapter story, "Love That Does Not Die". It is a Newsroom/Criminal Minds crossover story focusing on the Will/MacKenzie dynamic with special help from David Rossi. Please give it a try!**_

_**Also, there is a new chapter of "You Found Me" available at The Writers Coffee Shop (TWCS) today!**_

_**As always, thank each of you for reading, reviewing, alerting and favoriting our stories. We truly appreciate each one of you.**_


	17. Chapter 17

**Author's Note: We wanted to take a quick second and let everyone know that the FINAL voting ballot of The Profiler's Choice Criminal Minds Awards is up and live at "Chit Chat on Author's Corner" forum. Please read all the rules before filling out your ballot.**

**Other activities ongoing at the forum are as follows:**

**Signups for the Christmas Fic Gift Exchange are open through October 31, 2012. Details are on the forum.**

**We have also opened Chat Line threads for various pairings in the CM fandom. If you don't see the pairing you wish to discuss, just shoot me a private message and they'll be added promptly. There is also a thread discussing what viewers think of new profiler, Alex Blake. And finally there is a new thread discussing who your favorite pairings are on Criminal Minds and why.**

**We welcome everyone to swing by Chit Chat on Author's Corner and join the fun.**

**As ever, thank you for reading our work. We truly appreciate each of you.**

* * *

**Touched By An Angel**

**Chapter Seventeen**

So, she was a coward. A sneaky, spineless coward.

Or, maybe if she dressed it up a little she could go with a stealth escape artist with a single-minded mission. Yeah, that one worked a little better.

Either way, she knew she was doomed. Doomed on a level so great it defied comprehension. But, man, what a way to go.

Gathering her dress and bra into one hand as she darted a nervous look at the closed bathroom door, she could still hear the shower running and knew she had a few good minutes left to complete Operation "Extract Your Sorry Tush From the Ledge."

Where the hell were her panties, she asked herself frantically, scrambling on the floor as she peered underneath the bed. Nope, not there, she thought, her blonde head popping up and twisting to scan the room.

"Ha!" she breathed triumphantly, spotting the elusive lingerie draped over a lamp across the room. Nimbly rolling to her feet, she quickly dressed. She had five minutes before the taxi she'd called was due to make an appearance downstairs. Quickly pulling her clothes on in no real order, she frowned as she realized she still held her bra and panties in her hand.

Snagging her shoes from the floor, she hurried out of the bedroom, flying down the stairs at warp speed. Spying her bright yellow handbag just beside the front door, she quickly shoved her underwear inside before reaching for the doorknob, wincing when the door creaked. Casting a furtive look over her shoulder, she slid out the front door and drew her first deep breath of the morning as a yellow cab pulled up to the curb.

Success!

Scampering down the steps in her bare feet, her free breasts bounced animatedly under her shirt as she waved her arm and ran for the cab like the hounds of hell were on her heels. Which, metaphorically, she knew they would be in the next ninety seconds, Dave's muffled shout of her name echoing outside.

Ignoring the amused driver's look as she hurled herself into the backseat of the cab, she yelled, "Drive it like you stole it!" just as the front door opened, a damp towel clad David Rossi glowering at the yellow car as the driver accelerated, squealing its tires in a vocal adieu.

Sagging against the seat in relief, Penelope struggled to catch her breath as she met the twinkling eyes of her aging cabbie in the rearview mirror.

"You know, I've seen plenty of ladies take the walk of shame in my day, but I don't think I've ever seen one do a full scale sprint though," he commented as he grinned widely, needling the harried woman behind him.

Glowering, Pen blew the hair off her face. "You know, it may not be what you think? Maybe that man back there was holding me hostage! Or, I'm running from a relationship gone horribly wrong. What would you say to that?"

"I'd ask if you _were_ being held hostage or hoofin' it away from an abuser," the aging man answered from the front seat with a chuckle, clearly aware that was _not _the case. He hadn't been a DC cabby for the last thirty years without learning a thing or two. Met with her stony silence, he asked genially, "Well, were ya?"

"No," Pen whined, wrinkling her nose. "But, I could have been, Mr. JudgyPants," she argued defensively.

Laughing deeply, the wizened man glanced over his shoulder at his passenger. "We all do things we regret, kid. Cut yourself some slack."

Forcing herself to smile at the kindhearted man before he turned his eyes back to the road, she shook her head. "I don't regret it…exactly," she muttered. "I just wasn't quite prepared to rehash it this morning. I'm not sure how I feel."

"Hmmm," the driver hummed, glancing in the rearview mirror again. "Then, that might be a small problem," he sighed as he spotted a familiar dark head in the SUV behind him.

"Why?" Pen asked unhappily, shifting in her seat. "A girl deserves some time to sort out her feelings, doesn't she? Especially when her boyfriend dumps her for being a little cushioned and the office's answer to Casanova decides to offer a few carnal creature comforts. I mean, I never expected the freakin' legend of the BAU to be interested in me. I mean, not _that _way. And really, what woman is gonna say 'no' to David Rossi?"

Lifting his eyebrows as the woman in his backseat continued to ramble about her love life, the cabby kept one eye on the mirror. If he wasn't mistaken, the dark SUV that had been eating his traildust for the past mile or two just might be gaining on them. Yep, he was definitely being tailed.

"So, you're sayin' that you don't wanna talk to this guy you were just with, right?" he asked, needing the clarification.

"God, no," Pen groaned. "Not yet. He'll want answers. Ones that I don't have to give him or anybody else. And, he's a bully, too. He picks and picks until…well, your clothes fall off, you know?"

"Fortunately, I don't," the guy chuckled, "But, you've got a bigger problem lady."

"Another one?" Pen almost whimpered as her cell phone began to ring.

"Uh huh," the cabby grunted, changing lanes as the SUV behind him imitated the shift. "Your local legend? He's tailing us."

Turning in her seat to gaze out the back window, Pen gasped as she met David Rossi's eyes through the double layers of glass. Gulping as he wagged his phone at her, she ducked down.

"I think he's seen ya, sprite," the cabby chortled from the front of the car.

Squealing as her phone rang persistently again, she threw it in the floorboard. "What's your name, Mr. Cabby?" she asked breathlessly as she felt the taxi accelerating.

"Gus," the man answered her with a snort.

"Gus, I need your help," Pen begged, praying that she could find a way out of this mess she'd made for herself.

"Yeah, I kinda got that already." Gus grinned, changing lanes again as the man behind him followed suit.

As she heard the honking of the horn behind them, Penelope asked with a grimace, "Exactly how much do you know about evading capture by a trained federal agent, Mr. Gus the Cabbie Driver?"

* * *

_**SPECIAL SIDE NOTE – Sarah O'Rourke (the professional pen name that ilovetvalot and tonnie2001969 use) has released a NEW book on amazon. Com – Please swing by and check out **__**"The Devil's Snare"**__**. Please check out our other books as well. They are **__**"Inescapable Eye of the Storm"**__** and **__**"The Estate"**__** And please feel free to friend Sarah O'Rourke on facebook! **_


	18. Chapter 18

_**Author's Note: We are pleased to share that the 2012 Profiler's Choice Criminal Minds Awards winners have been announced! Please check out the post on Chit Chat on Author's Corner forum for some fantastic stories that we are sure you will love! Congratulations to all of our fellow Criminal Minds authors who won and were nominated, and thanks so much to everyone who voted!**_

**_While you're at the forum, take advantage of the wonderful stories that have been posted on the Christmas Gift Fic Exchange thread. All of your favorite Criminal Minds characters are featured in these great Christmas fics, which will surely put everyone in the holiday mood._**

**_And if you're looking for a change of pace, then head on over to Amazon and check out Hart's Desire, the newest release by Sarah O'Rourke (our alter ego). Every woman has that man that she always wonders "what could have been?" When opportunity finally presents itself, inhibitions fall away and Anna Slade finds her very own heart's desire in Evan Hart...and a very public display of passion binds them both together with the invisible threads of sensuality. It's only 99 cents on Kindle right now...a deal and a steal! And don't forget...if you don't have a Kindle, you can download the free app to read any book on your PC, iPad, Android, etc. For details, check out our Sarah O'Rourke's Facebook page at facebook DOT com SLASH Sarah DOT Orourke DOT 507. (And while you're searching for new and exciting reads, check out The Estate on Kindle...we've dropped the price for a special holiday sale and it's only 99 cents right now!)_**

* * *

**Touched by an Angel**

**Chapter Eighteen**

Of all the goddamned idiot tricks he'd seen pulled in his fifty-something odd years, this one took the cake. He was too damned old to be chasing…literally chasing!...after a woman. Hadn't he sworn off that in the eighties?

The moment he'd heard the front door close downstairs, his eyes had opened and he knew in a flash exactly what she was about to do. The woman in the car in front of him was as sharp as a tack and without a doubt one of the smartest females on the planet in his book, but she was sure pulling some dumbass moves.

And David Rossi did not suffer fools easily.

But even as he muttered and growled and clenched his hands around his steering wheel, David Rossi's better angels sat sweetly on his stiff shoulders and whispered into his ear, _"But she's not just any woman, now is she? You don't want this one to get away. She's special."_

"She's so special that I'm going to have to lock her in a closet when I actually catch her again," Dave snorted to himself as he dropped one hand to the phone lying on the console beside him. Deftly punching her speed dial number, he waited impatiently for her to answer, only to have it go to voice mail once again.

Great. The technical genius of the world that couldn't live without her smartphone attached to her hip was choosing here and now to ignore technology. This did not bode well for him. His foot hit the gas pedal just a bit harder as he rounded a curve, the yellow taxi still in front of him.

Clenching his jaw as the driver in front of him executed another hairpin turn, Dave clamped his hands tightly around the leather steering wheel. When the hell had DC cabbies started training in evasive maneuvers? Seriously, the Bureau needed to consider hiring this guy to teach offensive driving. Stabbing his finger against his phone, he hit the redial button.

"Go! Away!" he heard Penelope order through the speaker. Relieved to hear her voice, he narrowed his gaze on the woman in front of him, one hand braced on either side of the interior of the cab as the driver accelerated around two cars, passing the sedans at breakneck speed.

"Penelope!" Dave growled roughly, "Tell that damn driver to pull the hell over! We need to talk!"

"I don't want to talk," Penelope retorted, glancing furiously over her shoulder. "I want to be left alone! Now, go away, SuperAgent , and stop following me! This is harassment!"

"Penelope," Dave yelled as the line disconnected and the yellow cab darted around another car. Flooring it as the traffic light in front of him turned orange, he quickly maneuvered his own SUV back into the lane behind her, laying on his horn as he stabbed his phone again. Of all the infuriating, harebrained schemes she'd ever concocted, pursuing her in a high speed chase across the city had to be the worst.

His jaw dropped as he watched her slim hand appear outside her car's window, phone in hand. She wouldn't! Damn it to hell, he thought as those bright eyes met his when she looked behind her again, her intent clear, she was going to! "Don't you dare," he thundered as those tiny fingers released the phone in her hand, the slim unit hitting his windshield with a sharp crack. "That's littering," he roared, his finger quickly flicking on the sirens, the annoying sound blaring inside the otherwise silent vehicle.

Inhaling deeply, Dave's shoulders stiffened as he heard another siren wailing in unison. Glancing in his rearview mirror as a patrol car flashed its own lights behind him, he sighed. Finally, some assistance, he thought, slowing down as the cruiser pulled along side him and the officer pointed toward the side of the road.

Wait, he thought. They wanted _him_ to pull over? Glancing at the cab in front of him, he gaped as Penelope smiled cheerfully and waved at him from the back seat.

Son of a bitch! She'd engineered this! Pulling over to the shoulder of the road as he watched the cab disappear into the distance, he shook his head. "Run while you can, dolce," he muttered tightly. "You only one the battle, but the war is still up for grabs."

Turning to look to his left as the officer standing outside his window tapped on the glass, Dave unrolled his window. "Officer," he nodded. "I'm a federal agent currently in pursuit of a dangerous woman."

Merely raising an eyebrow as he cocked his head, the police officer's lips twitched. "Shirtless? Must have been _some _apprehension."

Glancing down at his body, Dave's face tightened. "It's complicated. And she's getting away," he growled, gesturing at the busy highway.

"Always is," the officer retorted as he smirked. "License and registration?"

Closing his eyes as he absently reached for his wallet in the back pocket of his jeans, Dave groaned. He'd barely taken the time to pull _on_ jeans, let alone grab his credentials. "Actually, that might be a little difficult."

"Do tell," the police officer invited, clearly amused. "Let me guess. Your badge is with your shirt? Or maybe your superpower cape?" He chuckled.

"Look, my name is David Rossi and I'm an agent with the FBI," Dave began irritably, shooting the younger man a dirty look. "And right now, you're hampering a federal pursuit."

"Sure I am, buddy," the disbelieving man said doubtfully. "Why don't you get out of the car and walk a straight line for me."

"You think I'm drunk?" Dave retorted, his eyes darkening. So help him God, when he got his hands around Penelope Garcia, she wouldn't walk for a week.

"Or crazy," the officer replied with a long suffering sigh. "Either way, you and I are going to take a trip down to the station. Now, open the door. Slowly."

Dave snapped in disbelief, "You're kidding!"

"Actually, no. We tend to take complaints regarding half naked drivers weaving erratically through traffic seriously. Now," the officer said, opening Dave's car door, "being a federal agent and all, you'll recognize these words, I'm sure. You have the right to remain silent…."


	19. Chapter 19

_**Dear Friends,**_

_**It's been a while again, I know. With the hubby out of the country and both kids birthdays during the month of February, it's been a hugely busy time. Oh, the joy of being a military wife! But, I'm trying to be more consistent with updates now. We'll see how it goes. To those who have asked, NOTHING is being abandoned. It's just taking me awhile to get updated. My writing partner and I are working to bring you both quality chapters of fanfiction AND new, professional work by our pen name, Sarah O'Rourke. Those books are available on amazon and kindle. I hope you'll check it out. ALSO, to those that have asked, our story, "Unexpected Surprises" is no longer available on fanfiction. We have taken it down to revamp it into an original work for Sarah O'Rourke. We'll let you know when it is available. We hope you won't be disappointed.**_

_**Thank you for sticking with us! We adore hearing from you!**_

_**All our best,**_

_**Ilovetvalot and tonnie2001969**_

* * *

**Touched by an Angel**

**Chapter Nineteen**

She should have felt some form of remorse. After all, she was certain that the SuperAgent currently being grilled by Virginia's finest was not exactly expecting that little moment of joy. But try as she might, she couldn't even muster up the tiniest twinge of sympathy for him.

She was far more concerned with protecting her own hide to worry about his.

And she was certain that when he found her, and oh, she was certain he eventually would, she hoped to have an entire armored tank division between them. And a nuke! A nuke would be good. And such actions required time to plan, didn't it?

Holding on tightly to the back of the seat in front of her as Gus the miracle driver took a curve at maximum speed, she called out, "I think we've lost him, Gussie. You can dial back on the pedal anytime now."

"Never want to take anything for granted. That's rule numero uno in evasive maneuvers," Gus responded as he barely lifted his foot a bare centimeter off of the accelerator. "You doing okay, missy? You look a little green, toots."

"I'm better now than I was," Penelope admitted, dropping back against the worn vinyl seat as she let out a loud sigh. "Honestly, how much drama can a girl be expected to take this early in the morning?" she groaned. "I haven't even had a caramel macchiato yet," she whined.

"There's a Starbucks up ahead," Gus informed her calmly, tapping his forefinger against the steering wheel. "You want to make a pit stop?" he asked over his shoulder.

"Oh, yes," Penelope answered, nodding fervently. "Please," she nearly whimpered as that telltale forest green sign came into view. After a little nectar from the goddesses, she'd surely be able to string two coherent thoughts together. Caffeine held the answers to her prayers, she just knew it.

Unbuckling her seatbelt as Gus pulled over to the curb, she asked, "You'll keep it running, right?"

Gus nodded. "Absolutely, lovely. Just bring me back a nice green tea and we'll call ourselves even for now."

"Gus, you are every woman's dream," Penelope said gratefully, patting his arm as she scooted out of the cab. "One green tea coming right up," she promised before slamming the door behind her.

Marching up the sidewalk, Penelope straightened her wrinkled skirt as best as she could and grimaced as she caught her reflection in the glass door of the coffeehouse. No wonder she was drawing stares. She looked like a floozy coming off a bender. Smoothing a hand over her wild hair as she opened the door, she reminded herself that as long as she maintained shirt and shoes, they couldn't withhold service. Management never specified on that placard posted on the door what state of disarray your clothes could be in when you ordered.

It was a loophole she was fully prepared to exploit if necessary.

As luck would have it, however, getting her supersized coffee treat was a relatively painless process. Well, at least it was if you ignored the snickers of the barista and her helper while they took her order and prepared her coffee. Which she had been more than happy to do; after all, a chick had to have her morning priorities straight.

Sipping her own steaming cup as she hurried back to the bright yellow taxi, she passed Gus his own cup before crawling back into the back seat and expelling a relieved breath.

"So," Gus said as he heard the back door slam shut, "where to now?"

Leaning her head back against the seat, Pen considered her options. Romeo would surely check her apartment first, so, that was out. After that, he'd probably try her lair at the BAU – no solution for her their either. If she showed up on Derek's doorstep, she'd have to endure an intense interrogation, and she was really not good at thinking on her feet.

So, where in the world did she have left to hide?

"Toots?" Gus prodded from the front seat.

"I'm thinking," she mumbled, chewing on her thumbnail as she alternately considered and discarded options. Snapping her fingers as inspiration struck, she brightened considerably.

JJ! Not only would the blonde bombshell have her back, she also wouldn't hesitate to have her Cajun honey escort Rossi from the premises should he be brave enough to seek her out there. It was as close to an achievable outcome as she was likely to get.

"Gussy, take me to 423 Rosemont Place, pretty please," Garcia requested.

Gus winked into the rearview mirror. "So you figured out somebody who'll offer you sanctuary, huh?"

"I hope so," Penelope replied. "Otherwise, how do you feel about having a co-captain for the rest of the day?" she asked, only half kidding. If there was one thing she was certain of, it was that she was currently at the top of David Rossi's most wanted list. She needed every ally she could rally, and good old Gus had proven himself to be one sizable asset to have on reserve.

Chuckling, Gus nodded. "Now, I know how desperate you are. If you're willing to ride around in a stinky old cab with a grouchy old man instead of facing Romeo back there, I'm willing to bet there ain't much you won't do. Must be one ugly man you're avoiding."

"He's not so bad. Not really," Penelope replied almost defensively, then sighed as she flopped against the seat again "I'm just a little confused at the moment and need some time to sort out a few things."

"Well, I not exactly Dr. Ruth, but I'd say he'll be wanting some clarification sooner rather than later. He didn't appear to be the patient sort."

"He's an Italian pain in the ass," Pen giggled as she took a sip of her coffee. "But, he had his good points."

"Well, with traffic the way it is," Gus replied, nodding at the gridlock ahead of them, "You've got time to tell me all about him if you want. It doesn't look like we're going anywhere for a while."


	20. Chapter 20

_Don't forget to check out the newest writing challenge on Chit Chat on Author's Corner forum. Deadline for signup is today, March 31, 2013._

* * *

**Touched by an Angel**

**Chapter Twenty**

Pacing the length of his jail cell, David Rossi shook his head.

This was insanity. How in the hell had he gone from making love to a beautiful woman this morning to being locked in a dingy jail cell by mid-afternoon?

And as the minutes ticked by, he knew that Penelope was slipping further and further away.

"Run while you can, Kitten," Dave murmured to himself. "When I get out of here, I'm going to track you down and then, we're going to have a little discussion." Turning as he heard heavy footsteps echoing down the concrete hallway, he grimaced as his best friend came into view. Crossing his arms over his still bare chest, he waited.

Aaron Hotchner frowned as he stomped down the cement walkway, his eyes narrowed on the incarcerated agent behind the metal bars. "You know, I really thought my days of fishing you out of jail cells were behind me after you divorced your last wife."

"Could you bitch later, Hotch," Rossi growled in return. "Tell me you brought a shirt with you," he begged as the younger man approached.

Shoving a shirt between the metal bars, Aaron snorted. "So far, your arresting police officer would like to charge you with indecent exposure, resisting arrest, _and_ assault. Any other charges you think I should know about, Dave?"

"First of all, I hardly think being bare chested is indecent. I did not resist arrest. I merely paused to outside his police cruiser to ask what I was being arrested _for. _And as far as assault goes, that putz tripped over his own two feet. If I'd assaulted him, he'd know it."

"He says you tripped him," Aaron returned, raising an inky eyebrow in silent inquiry.

"Can I help it if the kid couldn't watch where he was going?" Dave retorted.

Rolling his eyes, Aaron gestured for the officer accompanying him to open the cell as Dave buttoned his borrowed shirt. "I managed to get the officer to drop the charges. Just keep your mouth shut until we get out of her, okay?" he returned as the door slid open and Dave walked out. "Your SUV has been impounded until tomorrow."

"It took you long enough to get here," Dave complained as he joined Aaron outside the cell.

"Well, excuse me for actually _getting_ the life you were always bitching at me to find. I was having brunch with Jack and Beth when you called. Try explaining to your new girlfriend that you have to go bail out a fellow agent from jail," he returned irritably. "Believe me, it was an interesting conversation."

Wincing, Dave offered his friend a sidelong look. "Damn. I'm sorry, Aaron."

"Let's just get out of here and you can explain to me how in the hell it came to pass that you were speeding down the road, half naked, in an alleged federal pursuit of a _fugitive._"

The men made short work of collecting Dave's wallet and keys at the precinct desk before making their way outside into the afternoon sunshine. Taking a deep breath, Dave grimaced as he looked over at the Unit Chief. "Think I could get a ride?" he asked.

"Get in the fucking SUV, Dave," Aaron growled, stomping across the parking lot to jerk open the Suburban's door and climb behind the steering wheel. Waiting until the older man seated himself on the passenger side, he started the engine. "Okay," he said as the air conditioner blew a steady stream of air into the car, cooling the interior, "Explain," he ordered. "I assume a woman is involved in some capacity."

"Why?" Dave asked, feigning innocence.

"Because there's _always_ been a woman involved when you get locked up," Aaron snapped. "Which ex-wife was it this time?"

"None of 'em," Dave stated truthfully, hesitant to reveal the identity of the woman involved in this particular fiasco. He wasn't ashamed of anything that had happened with Penelope, but that didn't mean he was exactly ready to share the scintillating details either. At least not until he'd talked to the contrary woman that was evidently determined to usher him into an early grave.

"Then who the hell were you chasing?" Aaron barked, gripping the steering wheel as he turned his head to glare at Dave.

"Aaron, believe me when I say that the less you know about this, the better," Dave replied evenly. "I appreciate you showing up to haul my ass out of trouble, but until I talk to her…"

Eyes widening, Aaron's jaw dropped. "Wait a second! I know her, don't I? You've fucked around with one of the _team_!"

"Aaron," Dave began, feeling a guilty flush begin to creep up his neck.

"Damn it, Dave!" Aaron growled, thumping his hand against the steering wheel. "I don't have many rules, man, but I believe I was real clear when you came back about _not_ screwing around with the women on this team!"

"Actually, it was JJ you warned me off about," Dave clarified gruffly.

"The rule extended to _everybody_!" Taking a deep breath as he fought to control his anger, Aaron ran a hand over his face. "Okay, who was it? I don't know how bad this is unless you tell me which one of the girls you screwed around with."

"Aaron, I need to talk to her first," Dave attempted to explain.

Shaking his head, Aaron continued. "JJ's in a steady relationship with Will and I know that she wouldn't cheat on him. Unless you got her drunk. You didn't get her drunk, did you?" Aaron asked, horrified.

"I didn't get JJ drunk!" Dave growled. "It wasn't JJ!"

Squinting at Dave, Aaron shook his head again as if to clear the images in his mind. "Emily?! Oh, God, Dave. She'll just shoot you if she feels like you used her!"

"I'd never use _any_ of the women on our team, Hotch," Dave retorted defensively. "My days of the casual fuck are long past. You know me better than that. I didn't fuck Emily!"

"Shit, your heart is involved?" Aaron asked morosely, hanging his head in defeat. "And if you didn't sleep with Em, then that only leaves…" he trailed off, lifting his head as realization dawned.

"Hotch," Dave said warily as the younger man's appalled face slowly swung in his direction.

"You didn't," he whispered. "You couldn't have."

"It's complicated, Aaron," Dave said, holding up a forestalling hand.

"Complicated?" Hotch echoed, blinking slowly. "You slept with Garcia? _GARCIA?!"_

"Don't say it like she's some kind of pariah," Dave retorted, his temper rising.

"She's not the pariah, you moron. YOU ARE!" Hotch exploded. "She's in a relationship, for God's sake!"

"Not anymore," Dave stated flatly.

Closing his eyes as he attempted to control his reaction, Aaron ground out, "You realize you're fucked, don't you? Morgan is _going_ to kill you. And I don't think I'm going to stop him."

"Derek Morgan is the least of my concerns, Aaron," Dave replied softly. "Right now, I need to talk to Penelope. So, either take me to her apartment or take me home so that I can grab my other car. The longer we sit here chatting, the more time she has to run."

Offering Dave a long look, Aaron whispered, "Holy God. You're in love with her, aren't you?"


	21. Chapter 21

_**Hello, friends! Quick announcement – For anyone interested, the June challenge (The Wedding Bells Challenge) is posted and available for signups at Chit Chat on Author's Corner forum. We hope to see you there!**_

_**As always, thanks for reading!**_

* * *

**Touched by an Angel**

**Chapter Twenty-One**

Aaron's question was still ringing in Dave's ears an hour later as he restlessly paced the length of the dingy corridor.

Glaring at Penelope Garcia's purple painted door, he shook his head. He'd spent nearly ten minutes pounding and yelling for her to open it before he'd finally realized she wasn't inside. He'd had two options: pick the lock…or wait. While a part of him wanted desperately to barge into her home and take up residence, he knew Penelope guarded her privacy, at home and at work.

So, he'd started pacing.

He'd now been moving for fifty minutes.

And he was ready to explode.

How the hell he could be in love with a woman that infuriated him this much, he didn't know.

Except he was.

That realization had hit him with the force of a herd of elephants. And no one was more stunned than him by it.

She wasn't his type. Not by a long shot. He'd always preferred his women to be cultured and sophisticated. Most had been driven by their own careers as much as he had been. They were hungry sharks…

Penelope was…a dolphin, damn it!

A wonderfully sweet, infinitely endearing dolphin, he thought whimsically.

Sweet Christ! In a single night, that woman had managed to make him one of those simpering fools he detested that spent their free time waxing poetic about love and loss. What in the hell was she doing to him?

Besides tying him up in knots and getting him arrested, that was.

Shoving a hand in his pocket as he heard a sound behind him, he turned, hoping to see Penelope. Instead, he faced a stooped elderly man eyeing him suspiciously. Watching as the gentleman limped toward him, leaning heavily on his cane, Dave moved to the wall, leaning against it as he nodded to what he assumed was one of Garcia's fellow tenants.

"Hello," Dave greeted the old man as he neared.

"Hello," the man returned, doubtfully eyeing Dave from head to toe. "Any particular reason that you're loitering in the hallway, son?" he asked, fingering his cell phone as he continued to stare at Rossi.

"Just waiting for a friend," Dave replied easily, keeping his voice friendly. "She should be back any time," he added, trying to put the old man at ease.

"Which one?" the tenant asked skeptically.

"Penelope Garcia," Dave answered truthfully, jerking his thumb at Garcia's door. "I'm David Rossi," he introduced himself, extending his hand.

"Stan Goldenstein," the older man said, taking Rossi's hand reluctantly. "You're here to see Penny?" he asked in a cracked voice, pulling a cigar from his pocket and putting it between his lips as he continued eyeing Dave dubiously. "You don't exactly look like somebody that would be friends with Penny."

"I don't?" Dave asked, raising an eyebrow at that.

"Not colorful enough," Stan replied around his cigar. Chewing it thoughtfully, he growled, "You aren't here to make trouble for that sweet gal are ya?"

Saved from a reply as he heard a door slam shut down the hallway, Dave glanced to his left as another elderly man ambled toward him.

"Stan! I thought we were gonna watch the races, old man!" the older man called, straightening his flamingo shirt as he walked toward them.

Trying not to grimace at the fashion "don't" before him, Dave noted that from the man's bare knobby knees to the top of his head, he was a splash of horrible neon color.

"Sammy! I was just grabbing the paper for the spread when I saw this guy," Stan declared, jerking his head toward Dave, "waiting outside Penny's door."

"Who're you?" Sammy asked suspiciously, looking Dave over. "Whattaya want with Penny?" he asked.

The newest old man's face looked like a bulldog and his eyes were a piercing blue. His eyes were the only thing that wasn't faded about him. No, instead of a washed out color, those orbs were alive and intelligent.

Irritated by Dave's silence, the old codger to a step forward that would have been menacing back in his heyday. "You want I should _make_ you talk, kid?" he asked roughly, giving Dave a not-so gentle shove.

Dropping astonished eyes to the finger the obviously deranged geriatric had buried in his chest, Dave balked. "Are you kidding me?" Since when had Penelope engaged a security force comprised of senior citizens.

"You getting' fresh with me, kid?" the man barked. Exchanging a look with Stan, Sammy shook his head in disgust. "Just like the youth today," he grumbled to Stan. "They got _no_ respect for their elders!"

"Or their betters," Stan agreed with a nod.

"Now, just a second here," Dave blustered, staring down at the pair before him. "I'm standing in the hallway waiting for my friend and colleague, gentlemen. I hardly think I pose any kind of threat."

"I think we'll decide that," Sammy retorted, jabbing his bony finger into Dave's for emphasis.

A door opened across the hall and a new voice was added into the fray.

"What in the world is going on out here?" an aging woman asked as she appeared behind the two men. "I can barely hear my afternoon programs for this racket out here," she complained, her tone feeble as she pulled Sammy's hand away from Dave's chest with a wrinkled hand. "Samuel, why are you harassing this young man?"

"He's says he's here to call on Penny, Esther," Stan announced, his tone clearly hesitant.

"And you two thought you'd just bully him to death while he waited?" Esther tsked audibly, shaking her snow white head as she looked between her neighbors. "Shame on you." Smiling at Dave, she patted his hand. "He looks like a strong lad. Penny could do much worse."

"Penny _has_ done much worse," Sammy muttered under his breath.

Ignoring Sammy, Esther grinned again at Dave. "I'm Esther Lafferty, laddie. You are?"

"David Rossi, ma'am. I work with Penelope," Dave replied, trying to remain pleasant. Dear God, when had Penelope's building been taken over by the geriatric G-force? "It's a pleasure to meet _you_," he said, narrowing his eyes at the two men staring holes in him.

"Never mind Sammy and Stan," Esther said with a wave at the duo of elderly men. "They're a little protective of our youngest tenant. Why don't you come inside while you wait for Penny? We'll all have a little chat."

"Yeah," Sammy said with a growl. "I've got a few questions _I'd_ like to ask."

Dave would have declined Mrs. Lafferty's invitation, but the woman's surprisingly strong hand had already wrapped around his arm and tugged him forward.

And following the feeble old woman inside her apartment, he wondered if he'd somehow entered the Twilight Zone.


End file.
